Write Creative Words Speech Writing Copywriting Architectural Narratives Example 3

Example #3: The Story of RedHouse

This document is a design tool essential to the concept phase of the Coke Café project. The story line will assist the design team to narrow the focus of the design concept and identify the images that might be used in the final design.

Overview

RedHouse is more than a gathering place...it's a state of mind. This warm, homey antebellum mansion captures the spirit of Coca-Cola. Youthful energy, traditional values, American optimism and cultural diversity meet at this unique nexus...a refuge where people can comfortably be themselves. RedHouse is a breakthrough...a child of the architectural school of global inclusion. A seamless fusion of world influences coexisting in perfect harmony, it is familiar and exotic at the same time. Outside, it's a collage of distinctive facades that speak to the image of home we all hold inside us. Inside, it's a puzzlebox of contemporary rooms as unique and unfettered as Coke itself. Some rooms evoke pleasant childhood memories, while others arouse the thrill of entirely new experiences.

RedHouse seems to have its own life, and a heartbeat that echoes the hospitality of its Southern roots. A casual yet elegant place, here time can pass at the leisurely pace of a moonlit stroll, or percolate with the bubbling energy of youthful laughter. From the reflective tranquility of the Breeze Room to the stimulating, high-tech atmosphere of the Tube, RedHouse supplies the necessary ingredients for people from all walks of life to relax, refresh and "chill". Its design and décor subtly illustrate the history of Coca-Cola as a distinctly human saga, surrounding guests with a universal Coke experience that feels natural and unforced.

Background Story

In the RedHouse environment, rhythms of the past, present and future throb in dazzling counterpoint. Throughout its history, the house has accumulated both practical and mystical artifacts from its owner's adventurous travels to the far corners of the earth. Its boldly eclectic exterior is an amalgam of wildly divergent architectural styles that personify the relentlessly inquisitive nature of the man who built it...the enigmatic Dr. J.R. Pendlewood. Reputed to be an alchemist, the good doctor parlayed his invention...a formula for a medicinal brain tonic...into a billion-dollar soft drink company during the Golden Age of American industry, the late 19th century. The task seemed to come naturally to this cheerful, generous man who started his career as a sleight-of-hand magician, delighting audiences with his dexterous prestidigitation. Even after he made his fortune, he never lost his love of entertaining people.

During the time Dr. Pendlewood was building his business, he found himself irresistibly drawn to an old, run-down antebellum mansion. The house seemed to call to him, like a vivid dream from long ago. There was something familiar about the place, and yet he knew he'd never ventured inside. It had a magical quality. Despite its neglected exterior, magnificent rose bushes, heavy with crimson blossoms, still thrived in the Georgia clay. Standing on the street gazing at its stately but neglected columns, all the cares of J.R.'s busy life washed away, and he simply felt at home.

Years passed. A tired century gave way to a youthful one, and still the old house beckoned. Satisfied with his affluence, the doctor decided to turn his considerable energies to other pursuits. He purchased the old mansion and for a time, rejoiced in its renovation. He painted the house a deep red in tribute to the roses and the rich, red clay that gave them life. The vibrant color seemed to permeate the house...rekindling the doctor's passion for humanity. Soon...to everyone's surprise...he set out on a series of philanthropic expeditions.

At first, he stayed close to his hometown, a major provincial city of the American South. Bringing food, clothing and medical supplies to impoverished rural outposts, he quickly won the hearts of the local populace, performing magic tricks for the children as he checked on their health. Grateful parents showered him with their rustic, homemade treasures. The doctor graciously accepted these one-of-a-kind examples of Americana and shipped them home where they assumed places of honor in his beloved house. The doctor found himself wandering further and further...first to Canada, Hawaii, Mexico and England, then gradually to more remote and exotic destinations.

He roamed the world, aiding and delighting citizens of many nations, but he always returned to his home in Atlanta, bearing artifacts to share with the folks of his hometown. People of every cultural, ethnic and social background were drawn to the RedHouse, and Doctor Pendlewood made sure that all were welcomed. At those special times, when the house was filled to the brim, the very air seemed to crackle with the alchemy of inspiration. Artists, writers, architects, inventors, athletes and politicians were often struck with ideas that changed both their lives and the course of history. The famous, the infamous and the unknown left their marks on the RedHouse, contributing to its eclectic interior décor. The mystical, muse-like effect that the mansion had on Pendlewood's new-found friends also inspired the doctor to transform RedHouse into what it is today.