A project partnership among Adache Group Architects, HBA, and Shawmut, the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina’s new 38,000-square-foot event center boasts 28,500 square feet of event and meeting space. A two-level building, the ground floor features three ballrooms with 30-foot-high ceilings, specialty millwork, and architectural lighting. There are hidden A/V systems and high-end shade systems throughout as part of its state-of-the-art meeting and event capabilities.

Shawmut also completed the rooftop, waterfront restaurant, Olive & Sea. Spanning 9,500 square feet, Olive & Sea boasts 156 indoor and outdoor waterfront seats and features a brick oven exhibition kitchen, executive private dining room, and 14-seat bar that opens up to the Intracoastal. Pulling inspiration from Fort Lauderdale’s beaches and marina lifestyle, Olive & Sea has fresh, natural décor, including woven rope light fixtures and warm-wood ceiling hatching, with pops of vibrant and lush colors.

“The high-end event spaces at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina event center and the sought-after Olive & Sea restaurant help meet the demand in one of Florida’s most popular tourist and convention destinations,” said Alexis Leal, head of Florida at Shawmut. “To safely and seamlessly construct this building while the hotel remained fully operational was a true team effort among all project partners, and it’s incredibly rewarding to see it open.”

Careful planning and construction management began before Shawmut even broke ground. Partnering with its engineering services division and mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection (MEP/FP) subcontractors, the Shawmut project team used BIM (Building Information Modeling) to digitally build the entire structure, solving for coordination conflicts and system clashes ahead of time. This allowed for work to be put in place faster, resulting in enhanced field productivity, efficiency, and time savings.