The AC Hotel at the Galleria catalyzes a progressive architectural tone for the imminent 4-billion-dollar redevelopment of the Dallas Midtown district and Dallas at large. Anchoring a future 5-acre central park, the dual-branded hotel merges the AC Hotels’ Spanish architectural sensibility with Dallas’ pragmatic urbanism. Simply conceived as a lightweight latticework that levitates above the hotel’s public space, the facade’s faceted planes evolve under the diffusive north light throughout the day. The lattice serves up an architectural lingerie that scantily clads the transparent lobby and lounge between the public pedestrian realm and the lush, bamboo-lined pool courtyard. It splays down to the street level, engaging with passing pedestrians to encourage interaction with the architecture along the interstitial exterior space between it and the lobby. The design relies on a precisely fabricated metal rainscreen cladding system which requires a high degree of manual fabrication skills. Careful attention was spent on the depth and angle of each piece as a singular element and their intricate transitions with the rainscreen tile panels, progressing the material language across the façade.

Layered ceiling planes in the public space bring warmth to the expansive 'Dallas Midtown's Living Room' and suggestively subdivide the zones of social interaction. In daytime, the lobby and lounge are one contiguous limpid space that feels as an extension of the streetscape and the courtyard. During the evening, it's a warm-cast voluminous space with views out to the urban night scene and the internal pool party.

The 253,000 sq. ft project includes the 140-key AC Hotel and a 116-key Residence Inn that meet at the north end and split off around the central courtyard on opposite sides. The surrounding area is made up of multifamily projects and office buildings, to which the AC Hotel + Residence Inn makes up a comfortable middle ground in this medium-density Midtown neighborhood. The hotel is steps away from the famous Galleria, with retail and dining options galore.

5G Studio Collaborative’s AC Hotels Dallas by the Galleria won The American Architecture Awards 2019, the nation’s highest and most prestigious distinguished public building awards program given by a non-commercial, non-trade affiliated, public arts, culture, and educational institution.