Due to these city centre locations we, as developers, must plan and adapt to working in tight spaces with heavy footfall and difficult access.

Our Award-winning construction of the Premier Inn on Dale Street saw 13 new storeys in the Piccadilly skyline. The constrained 835m2 site required innovative construction methods. Russell WBHO removed existing steelwork and improved existing foundations to build 11 floors above ground and build 2 basement floors. We utilised pre-cast sandwich panels, complete with insulation, glazing and brickwork, lifted into place with a single tower crane at the centre of the building.

Not only did our construction methods at Dale Street win the Manchester Architects Best Unbuilt Scheme, Best Leisure Development at Insider Property Awards 2013 and receive Highly Commended in the Concrete Society Awards, but they also saved an estimated 3 months on the build programme.

Also showcasing Russell WBHO’s site hotel and accommodation construction expertise is the Holiday Inn Express on Oxford Road, with the challenge of a 12-storey construction in a 5700 sq ft footprint while bordering the busy Oxford Road and the River Medlock.

A variety of techniques were deployed in the Oxford Road construction, including off site elements such as pre-cast concrete walls and prefabricated bathroom pods. The exterior features a black brick that was installed using a mast climbing gantry instead of traditional scaffolding that would have proved difficult in the busy location. This building subsequently won Best Commercial Building from the Brick Development Association in 2011.

When it comes to city centre locations where space is scarce, the key is maximising site potential during hotel and accommodation construction, which at Russell WBHO includes successfully employing high rise construction techniques. Several of our hotel builds have been our tallest schemes to date such as Motel One Piccadilly.

The Motel One Piccadilly was a 14-storey, including 1 basement level construction on the busy London Road. To maximise site potential, pre-cast outset sandwich panels were used throughout, including the inner leaf of concrete. All insulation and PCC sandwich panels were constructed off site to make the most of the small site.

The Motel One/Staycity hybrid in St Peter’s Square, a 20-storey new-build hybrid in the heart of Manchester’s civic quarter at the edge of its most famous historic square, had the highest free-standing Tower Crane in Manchester at the time of its erection.

This particular hotel and accommodation construction is made up of over 3,100 individual pieces of pre-cast concrete. The design is in keeping with the aesthetic of its St Peter’s Square neighbours. Before construction, Russell WBHO undertook the demolition of the vacant Peterloo House to clear the site in a way designed to mitigate disruption to the surrounding area.

Many of our hotel developments are at the forefront of innovative and sustainable construction.

Our client, Bruntwood Sci Tech, had multiple sustainability requirements for the Premier Inn at Circle Square. The build has 600m2 94kWh solar PV system to avoid 43,000kg CO2 per year and save £11,000 annually. There’s also a bespoke H&V system offering heating efficiencies of over 700% and cooling efficiencies of over 1,300%.

Russell WBHO’s in-house sustainability lead, in conjunction with the client representatives and consultants, undertook feasibility studies and devised a solution to achieve client requirements with regards to conservation of fuel and power, which meet BREEAM Very Good and reduce operational fuel use.

When it comes to innovation in hotel and accommodation construction, the Russell WBHO project with Motel One on Cross Street was an exercise in innovation to preserve history. The project included partial demolition of existing office accommodation with the retention of the historic stone facade, maintaining the character of the Cross Street area, which was done to complete client satisfaction.

To review more Russell WBHO hotel and accommodation construction projects in detail, take a look at our complete and live projects below.