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When Hennebery Eddy Architects was asked to revise the design for a Hampton Inn in the Pearl District, it knew it would need to deviate from the prototype.

The first design for the hotel, by Wisconsin-based Gary Brink & Associates, in 2012 was panned by neighbors and received less-than-glowing comments from the Portland Design Commission. That prompted the project’s developer, The Raymond Group, to turn to a local firm to make revisions.

鈥淚t was a fine design; they just hadn’t Portlandized it,鈥� Hennebery Eddy Architects principal Andrew Smith said. 鈥淪o we basically started fresh.鈥�

Bringing a branded design into an urban space can be like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. In Portland, for example, brand elements sometimes must be left out in order to meet strict design guidelines.

鈥淚n a lot of cases, it seems like we are downplaying the importance of the architecture,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淚n reality we are downplaying the importance of a particular aesthetic to what a brand is.鈥�

Hampton Inn was largely known for standardized suburban facilities. A developer could buy a franchise and receive a largely set design that could be used anywhere. In the case of the Pearl District facility, at 354 N.W. Ninth Ave., developers didn’t fully grasp Portland’s unique design environment.

Plans for any structure at the location had to receive the Design Commission’s approval before permits could be sought. Hampton Inn’s standard design wouldn’t pass muster. Going back to the drawing board cost the project six months of development time.

鈥淭hey broke away from the prototype but in a way that was contextual,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淭he only things about the hotel (now) that are prototypical are the programs.鈥�

The designers moved away from strong horizontal lines and changed much of the exterior skin. They worked to tie the design back to the area’s industrial history. They also emphasized an active first floor with large openings that were more protective of the pedestrian environment.

Another departure from the prototype involved HVAC louvers. In a standard Hampton Inn design, the louver for each room’s HVAC is under the window. In the Pearl District facility, the HVAC systems were stacked on top of each other between rooms. The louvers were then covered with a grill to make them appear as a single element instead of 10 to 12 separate louvers per row of rooms.

The eventual design that received the Design Commission’s approval bears little resemblance to early iterations. While the letters on the sign are the same font as other Hampton Inns, much of the exterior differs from typical ones.

鈥淭hey always want to carry their brand prototype,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淭he Raymond management company has done hotels in other downtown areas. They just wanted it to be successful in its setting.鈥�

Sometimes owners are reluctant to make big moves away from a brand look even when it’s necessary for a project to move forward.

鈥淲e had a project a while back when the brand pushed back and they really wanted something on the building and it didn’t fit the neighborhood,鈥� said Lisa Zangerle, principal and director of hospitality at SERA Architects. 鈥淭hey had a loud voice, but it just goes back to saying this isn’t going to work for this environment.鈥�

Oftentimes a city’s design review process leaves companies with little choice but to give in. In Portland, the Design Commission often takes credit or blame for changing the look of what ends up being built.

鈥淕iven the fact that you have to have their approval, it is an important piece,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淲hat got built on the Hampton site would have been quite different if the Design Commission didn’t have a part.鈥�

One of the most common sticking points is signage. Many brand-name businesses want their signs to be a certain size and look.

鈥淲e explain to them that it’s out of our hands. We have this wonderful group called the Design Commission,鈥� Zangerle said. 鈥淲e are always trying to talk to our brands about the size of signage. The brand might want something three times as big that just isn’t going to make it.鈥�

The struggles to fit in are not limited to a particular industry. Kuni Lexus is changing its prototypical design for its proposal to open a dealership on Southeast Sandy Boulevard.

鈥淥ur preference would be to put our inventory out on display (outdoors),鈥� said Matt Newell, general counsel for Holman Automotive, which oversees the dealership’s real estate acquisitions. 鈥淭he city requirements prohibit us from having the cars outdoors, so we had to move them inside.鈥�

The Portland dealership will include amenities like a coffee bar to help activate the ground floor. Dealing with these issues isn’t unfamiliar territory for the dealership. In Palo Alto, California, designers had to use glass imported from Germany to address wildlife protection issues. That doubled the budget for windows. In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, designers were required to spend $40,000 on changes to a bus stop.

Getting brand-name businesses to see the wisdom of these changes is sometimes a process, according to Mackenzie associate principal and architect Dietrich Wieland.

When Fred Meyer remodeled and expanded its store on Northwest 20th Place, near Providence Park, the original design had to be revised.

鈥淭ypically they develop suburban sites,鈥� Wieland said. 鈥淭hey tried to layer in a typical store on that urban site.鈥�

It took months of talking to neighbors and city officials to convince them to reduce auto parking and alter programing for the site. They added glass to the exterior fa莽ade, included a rooftop deck and changed the way the interior layout of the store. By removing part of the parking, they gained room to add an area dedicated to fresh produce.

The project ended up winning awards for its adaptations to its urban environment.

Design oversight is making an impact in how branded spaces look, according to Zangerle.

鈥淚 would say the past several years, the brands have been getting away from prototypical design palettes and styles,鈥� she said.

Project owners must be convinced, Smith said, that no matter what the outside looks like, customers’ experience will remain the same.

鈥淭he times when we have had success getting brand companies comfortable with a departure from a prototype, we put the focus on keeping what the brand is,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey have to like customer experience. Those are going to be the same. It doesn’t rely so much on the architectural experience of the building.鈥�