interview
Graham has spent most of his career in the hotel interior design sector, working for many of what he says are now his competitors. Over time, he saw an opportunity for the kind of modular pre- assembled hotel construction that draws inspiration from the ‘pod’ style builds such as Yotel that already seek to satisfy demand for an affordable stop-over where acres of room space are not the priority, but the essentials done well, are. The style’s roots extend back to 1950s Japan, where the concept of compact hotel rooms took seed. Yet, while similarities between the pod-style can be drawn, Graham insists that Boxbuild’s modular concept moves the idea forward and creates something largely untapped in Britain. All 73 rooms in the Birmingham Bloc
hotel arrived from their Welsh manufacturing site by motorway on the back of trailers, pre-assembled as modules (two rooms each one), delivered ready for slotting into place within an existing steel framework. Connecting corridors are also assembled off site and moved into place in situ.
The form of construction, now gaining
ground in the housing sector, allows for greater density and lower build time, says Graham, approximately half that of traditional build methods, as well as improved sustainability credentials. Given the strictly controlled energy management system operating in the Bloc hotel, he is keen to move forward still further to deliver future builds that can meet BREEAM and even the Passivhaus standard. Completed in April, the Bloc St Paul’s flagship site nestles within the artisan hub of Britain’s second city, a stone’s throw from the regenerated centre, which presented the perfect location for the first venture. Three of the directors, including Graham, hail from Birmingham and consider it a city that’s prepared to experiment. “It’s always rewarding to do something for your home- town and there was definitely a need for this type of accommodation here because the city enjoys strong international business links and vibrant tourism. And Birmingham has always been a particularity receptive city, open to new ideas, so it seemed like the recipe for success.”
Although it’s still early days, Graham
reports encouraging feedback so far. The company surveys guests in the reception as they leave to ensure they can remedy any snags. The average occupancy rate for Birmingham hotels is 65 per cent, and he says the company is aiming for this as the minimum.
Style touches Bloc St Paul’s typifies the speed and efficiency of modular pre-assembly construction. “From start to finish the hotel was up and complete in only 24 weeks emerging from what was previously a petrol station,” says Graham proudly. “And the fact that we managed to install
all 73 rooms and the separate corridor cassettes in only 10 days during the worst period of winter weather was an achievement in itself,” he says. Bloc St Paul’s marries cost efficiency with
sustainability in a design that melds with the surrounding built realm. Sited amid plenty of period structures, including St Paul’s church, the Boxbuild team wanted to combine a respect for the area with
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