ENGINEERING KNOW-HOW, CREATIVE DESIGN, AND THE VERSATILITY OF SAPELE

SPECIES FEATURED IN THIS ARTICLE: Sapele

FIND INFORMATION ON THIS AND ADDITIONAL SPECIES AT WWW.IWPAWOOD.ORG

A new luxury island escape, the Margaritaville Beach Resort Nassau, opened in July 2021 in the Bahamas. Inspired by the brand’s iconic state of mind, the Margaritaville Beach Resort captures the essence of Bahamian culture and offers guests deluxe amenities in a relaxing, laid-back oasis conducive to both work and play. The resort anchors the high-end entertainment and lifestyle quarter known as The Pointe and is close to historic Bay Street, known for the Straw Market, local artisan galleries, and museums.

Just steps from sun splashed Junkanoo Beach and on the poolside deck is the open air 12 Volt Bar, where guests can soak up the sun, the breeze, and the relaxed Bahamian vibe while enjoying refreshments. The 12 Volt Bar is a hub of activity during the day, but it is closed at night, although guests still have access to the grounds.

It fell to the designers at J. Gibson McIlvain’s Architectural Millwork subsidiary, ICD, to come up with a functional plan for securing the structure that was in keeping with the resort’s casual chic vibe.

Faced with the challenge of safeguarding the bar and its inventory, while retaining the resort’s design aesthetic, the McIlvain designers used engineering know-how, creative design, and the versatility of Sapele to simulate a seaside shack look and feel while providing a secure and attractive solution for the working bar.

“At the time, the resort was still under construction, so it was an opportunity to be creative,” said Shannon Rogers, director of marketing for J. Gibson McIlvain. “We knew that the solution needed to look great and keep with the resort’s sense of place, and meet the structure’s functional security needs. We developed a shutter system that keeps the bar secure while closed but folds out of the way quickly and easily during business hours.”

J. Gibson McIlvain had previously designed and constructed a massive Sapele bar countertop for the resort, and so they turned again to Sapele for the shutter application. The shutter design uses 8/4 Sapele for the rails and stiles, and closely spaced, fixed louvers reinforced with 8/4 mullion rails. These are set into a stout casement frame with stainless steel hardware so the shutters can slide up and accordion fold out of the way yet remain visible and look as if they are part of the eaves of the building. When the bar is closed, the shutters slide down and lock into place securing the open-air bar.

Sapele was selected for the application primarily based on its workability, strength, and durability. But in keeping with the lively blue and green color palette throughout the pool area, the shutters needed to be bright and colorful. Again, Sapele proved to be an ideal solution since the smaller pored nature of the wood takes paint well without a great deal of pore filler, achieving a smooth, almost automotive quality finish.

The bar top was specified to retain its natural red-brown color with an epoxy bar top coating. After testing multiple finishes, the ICD designers selected a fine Italian made finish that will withstand the elements at the seaside Caribbean resort for years to come.

When referring to the meticulous design and precise millwork done at McIlvain’s Hannover, Pennsylvania millworking shop, as well as the careful selection of wood, finish, and hardware, Rogers noted, “There is little room for error in high-end applications like this, and so a lot of thought and testing went into every aspect of this project. This bar will need to stand up to intense sun and salt air, as well as hurricanes and ordinary daily use for years to come and always look brand-spanking new.”

Whether the 12 Volt Bar is open or closed, whether by day or by night, whether they are relaxing poolside or strolling the grounds, listening to the ocean waves or gazing at the star-spangled night sky, guests at an exclusive high-end resort such as the Margaritaville Beach Resort Nassau have an expectation that everything will be perfect all the time. Every detail was considered and reconsidered to make the 12 Volt Bar truly reflective of the Margaritaville state of mind.