RUSSELLS Construction has commenced the £8.7m contract to build a landmark hotel in Manchester. The Trafford Park-based construction
firm has been chosen to deliver a 147- bed Holiday Inn Express on Oxford Road.
Work on the demolition of the existing building began in January and the 15- month construction programme is due to finish in Spring
2010. The exterior of the contemporary 11-storey building will be finished in a black brick, in order to comply with planning
regulations, with large glazed panels.
The build programme will involve the construction of a pre-cast concrete structure on piled foundations with glazing to the front.
Russells Construction will then erect a traditional brickwork skin around the four elevations.
Prefabricated bathroom pods, constructed off-site, will be installed throughout to ensure uniformity and conform to the Holiday Inn
Express brand standard. Due to the high standard of the finish internal decorations are applied directly to the pre-cast concrete
speeding up the final fix process.
The existing building, on the corner of Hulme Street, has been demolished but the tenant convenience store is to be provided with
replacement facilities on the ground floor, retaining its position on Oxford Road.
Due to the particularly challenging location of the site, which sits on the edge of the River Medlock, the team has had to liaise closely
with the Environment Agency. The riverside elevation will be scaffolded, with precautions put in place to prevent damage to the watercourse.
The confined city centre site will require careful scheduling of deliveries and imaginative scaffolding solutions. A mast climber gantry
will be used to construct the outer brick wall to reduce the need for scaffold and speed up the process.
Andrew Russell, managing director of Russells Construction, said: "We were up against some well known names for this contract and I was
delighted to have won the tender. I believe it was the ability to demonstrate our commitment to high quality delivery and our
professional approach which has enabled us to build the relationship to secure this contract.
"The hotel sector is an area of our portfolio we have been keen to develop. This will be our tallest, most high profile building to date
and we have put together a highly skilled team in order to deliver the project."
The hotel is being constructed on behalf of Manchester Property Holdings Limited.
