The Asher Adams
SALT LAKE CITY, UT
Design: Emir Tursic | HKS, Inc.
The Asher Adams reinvigorates the original spirit and historic character of the Union Pacific Railroad Station by exhibiting its rich heritage to Salt Lake City residents, hotel guests and Gateway visitors. The arrangement of the new building into the current site creates a contextual contrast, which allows for an opportunity to have a dual architectural expression: a calmer east facade that pays respect to the historic building and a more articulated west facade that has a more monumental presence. This introduces a new face for the Legacy Plaza, and helps activate the core of the Gateway Center.
“The best hospitality environments are not about extravagance, but about intention. When design is in sync with nature and emotion, it doesn’t just welcome you — it restores you,” says Tursic.
“I am inspired by architects who blur the line between building and landscape — Tadao Ando and Tom Kundig come to mind. Their work embraces restraint, material honesty and a profound respect for place,” the designer continues. “I also draw inspiration from vernacular traditions and history that build in harmony with nature. In my own work, this shows up in the way we shape spaces to feel rooted—connected to topography and place — rather than imposed. It’s about creating architecture that breathes with its surroundings and invites people to slow down and feel present.”
Emir Tursic is a Partner and Office Director for HKS Salt Lake City. Emir’s vast hospitality experience ranges from resorts that changed the paradigm of hospitality design in Las Vegas and luxury ski resorts in the Wasatch Range to urban lifestyle hotels throughout America.
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