Russells tops out Motel One hotel
RUSSELLS Construction has topped out the 330-room Motel One hotel close to Piccadilly in Manchester.
German budget hotel chain has already agreed a 25-year lease on the 14-storey building.
Three Victorian buildings have been demolished to make for the Whitworth Street scheme.
It is being funded by LaSalle Investment Management which agreed a £25.5m deal with Livia, a subsidiary of the London-based Olympian Group. Livia is still involved as the manager of the project which should be ready to open in the spring.
Designed by Manchester architect Hodder and Partners, the 105,000 sq ft building includes a reception area, restaurant and bar.
Russells director Gareth Russell said: “The external structure has been completed using an innovative precast panel solution, which we put forward to the client and the design team. This has resulted in significant benefits in terms of the build programme and quality.
“The technique meant that we could install the structural insulated concrete panels as one composite product including the windows. As a result, each of the upper floors was built to a tight programme, allowing the hotel fit-out to start well ahead of a traditionally-designed building.”
Richard Goodwin, construction director for Livia, said: “Despite being located in a constrained site bound by two main roads, this project has run smoothly with the external structure now complete. Reaching this major milestone means that we’re on track to open on schedule next year providing Manchester with a new hotel offering that is sure to be a popular choice with visitors and tourists.”
Until January 2013 entrepreneur Julian Lyons held a lease on the site and employed 60 staff working at the Hotel International, a pub called The Outpost and Legends nightclub. Legends was the location of the Twisted Wheel club in the 1960s after it moved from Brazennose Street.
The club was famous for being the birthplace of the Northern Soul movement and this heritage was kept alive by a soul revival night which ran for 12 years but bowed out in December 2012. The buildings were owned by Targetfollow and sold off when part of that business went into administration. They were picked up by Olympian which secured planning consent in July 2012.
