See the new design for this $60 million Downtown Louisville hotel (RENDERINGS)

The renderings for a Downtown Hotel have been updated with some design changes.

The Canopy by Hilton hotel is being built on the site of the former Action Loan Co. Building at 143 W. Market St. Two developers are behind the project: Minnesota-based TruVine Companies, and Zyyo with offices in Louisville and New York City.

The $60 million project includes 168 rooms spread over five floors. Nick Campisano of Zyyo detailed the design changes made to the project since its last update.

Zyyo's architecture division has been officially established, and the project it is undertaking here is its first major task.

The building facade is one of the differences in the design. Campisano says the new design features a façade that extends about 12 inches beyond the building's exterior to create arches which welcome visitors on the sidewalk.

Campisano explained that the effect was internally known as the waffle-iron effect. It creates a lot of fun shadowing and also has a timeless appearance.

Arches also adorn the roof, which gives the building an impressive look, even though it is only five stories high. Campisano explained that the arches on the roof elongate and enlarge the building, giving passersby a glimpse of the activities happening at the top.

Rooftop amenities include a ballroom for 250 people, a swimming pool and a bar that has indoor and outdoor areas. Campisano stated that the rooftop would have a cigar-smoking area and firepits for guests to enjoy while enjoying the 270 degree view of Downtown Louisville.

See the new design in the gallery.

Kevin Grangier is the local restaurateur who will be running the hotel's restaurant. It occupies 11,000 square foot of the first-floor space, with another 6,000 on the roof. In the restaurant and lobby, classic Louisville accents will be used in an innovative way. These include bourbon casks and limestone.

The layout of the building is in an L shape, with Second Street and Market Street at its corner. Campisano stated that this will give the hotel a unique rotunda, which will create an seamless experience for guests being picked up or dropped off.

Campisano stated that 'this hotel' makes you realize the difference between a newly built hotel and a hotel that has been repurposed from an older building. Everything is in the perfect place. 'The elevator shafts and stair towers are organized to serve a specific purpose and aesthetic. The laundry chute and ADA access is also arranged in a similar fashion. It's all a perfect fit.

The general contractor for the project is MC Associates, a Louisville-based company. Mark Zeff is the interior designer. He has worked on many Canopy by Hilton project. Shimahara Visuals created the exterior renderings for Canopy.

Zyyo Architecture

The company decided to bring in-house the architecture component to streamline the development process.

Campisano explained that the vertically integrated method will eliminate disjointed teams from working together on a project without a common goal. He said that the Zyyo team wants to ensure the design is identical to the final product.

Campisano stated that many investment professionals are only concerned with the short-term depreciation and do not care about the long term. We want to build buildings that are the best on the market, with durable materials and assemblies. This will ensure they look and function as well as new in 50 years.

Mose Putney, a local architect, has joined the Zyyo team. He has worked in the Louisville Real Estate industry for many years and believes that involving the building design in development from the beginning helps to reduce conflict of personalities.

Putney stated that 'everyone is on board right from the start'. As an architect you are brought in and you are new to the team. You work on a design at your studio then you return. There's a lot of back and forth.

Putney added that the ability to take ownership of a project brings passion and responsibility.

Four architects are employed by the new Zyyo arm, including Putney from Louisville, Martin Prus who is from Poland, Simon Omooba who is from London, and Henry Han who hails from Shanghai. Campisano stated that this team has a broad range of experience.

In an email, Prus, Zyyo's vice president of design, explained that the vertically integrated process enabled them to move quickly from the concept phase to the construction phase, eliminating unnecessary revisions and changes, while maintaining the design intention for the hotel. We were able, using a variety of financial and architecture tools, such as the latest BIM software to create an innovative design for Downtown Louisville while maintaining a small but capable design staff.

Campisano, using Canopy, said that the firm plans to learn from every project and refine the designs so they can be applied to other properties in the city and the country.

Campisano stated that they are looking at all the possible ways to adapt this design to other properties in the world. You have an L-shaped building on a corner of a street, which is a quarter block. We can take this design, and ask ourselves: "How can we improve it and build it in another location?" Our future hotel designs do not need to be created from scratch.