21
BUILDING PROJECTS
© Russells Construction
© Russells Construction
adopted as an industry standard so if you’re building a timber frame now, you’ve got to make provision for the safety of adja- cent buildings during the construction process. With the agreement of the HSE, we erected the blockwork skin of the building to form a barrier around the timber frame, acting as a firewall between our building and the one next door. “We had a full fire report prepared by Arup to evaluate the
design and demonstrate how it would work in practice. We planned it so that the blockwork effectively provided a shield, like a fire barrier.” The building was completed to BREEAM Very Good
standard and includes a range of environmentally friendly measures such as the timber frame being sourced from a sustainable forest, where more trees are replaced than are harvested, and other ‘green’ features like the installation of a combined power and heating unit, which reduces the opera- tional energy use of the building in the long term. The construction site was on a corner of a busy street, but
was self-contained and access required careful planning and regular communication with the local authority. “We had a good relationship with the local council, and
didn’t have any problems with getting permits,” says Jay. “In fact, I don’t think we had any problems with the job at all. There were some acoustic issues because the location is on the corner of two main roads, one of which – Bridge Street – is likely to be extended eventually, coming nearer to the site. So we had to future-proof the design by making provision for increased acoustic load, which was one of the reasons for using a blockwork skin. “Travelodge are really pleased with the building and how it
was handed over to them,” says Jay. “They’re quite rightly a demanding client when it comes to quality and scheduling, because of their experience of having hotels built and handed over, but I’m pleased to say we never had any problems.” Travelodge Loughborough Central is the first of two hotel
projects Russells Construction completed in summer, and it was followed by the handover of the new Premier Inn in Manchester city centre. Construction director Gareth Russell adds: “It’s always very
satisfying to see a project come to fruition, particularly a regeneration scheme that brings such benefits to the area. We delivered the development on time and on budget, allowing Travelodge to begin operation as scheduled.” Andrew Russell, managing director of Russells
Construction, says: “We were pleased to be appointed as main contractor on this project and to add another hotel brand to our portfolio. We’ve found the hotel sector coming back online more quickly than many others, with developers, oper- ators and funders working together to bring schemes forward to meet demand from events such as the Olympics, and the trend towards ‘staycations’ and city breaks.” The effects of the economic downturn are still being felt,
however, and Travelodge announced in August that, to secure the long-term future of the business, it had agreed a financial restructuring and a Company Voluntary Agreement (CVA), which would reduce levels of rent at certain sites, and seek to transfer 49 of its 505 hotels to other operators. Meanwhile, the Loughborough Central Travelodge was
fully booked when it opened in July – just a week after hand- over – and the developer was in talks to let the retail space.
Client:H2O Urban
Architect: Hall Needham Associates
Main contractor: Russells Construction
Opposite: The exterior features green copper lookalike and pink cladding, brickwork and rendering
Above left: CGI shows how the new building was designed to complement the existing buildings in The Wharf
Above: A family room in the budget hotel
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