Elements Europe’s Roompod System Provides a Solution for £19m Hotel Project
Modular construction specialist Elements Europe has been contracted by building company Mace to be involved in a nine-storey London hotel contract.
The £19.3m new Premier Inn in Ealing will include 165 bedrooms being built using Elements Europe’s Roompod systems which are manufactured at its Shropshire headquarters.
“We are delighted to win this contract which is the second one between Elements Europe and Mace Ltd following a previous £20m student housing project in Aldgate, London”, says Elements Europe’s sales director Michael Shand. “As well as the bedrooms, we are providing factory constructed shells to make a top floor of offices for internal fit out on-site”.
The Roompod structure is manufactured using a structural steel frame, produced in-house, and bedrooms can be fitted complete with en-suites, fixed furniture, staircase modules, kitchens and any other type of ancillary room. During the on-site construction the room modules remain sealed to ensure the integrity of the internal finish.
“The use of pre-assembled and fitted room pods significantly reduces the number of deliveries to the project which will decrease the amount of traffic and noise for neighbours living near the site,” says Michael.
Elements Europe is a member of the Pickstock group of companies encompassing property development, construction, house building, meat and food products and investment.
Installation commences at £5 million hotel development
Elements Europe has teamed up with Kier to manufacture and deliver a 108 bedroom hotel for the Travelodge budget brand.
Elements Europe has manufactured a total of 131 modules; these include 108 en-suite hotel rooms, linen rooms, plant rooms, corridor cassettes and stair cores for the scheme which is located on the busy A414 link road in Hemel Hempstead.
Installation commenced on-site last week, vertical access to the perimeter of the building is provided by mast climbers. Elements Europe has also sourced and managed the procurement of a modular pre-cast concrete lift shaft.
Stuart Johnstone, Elements Europe’s Project Director says “This scheme has been a great opportunity to demonstrate our ability to deliver and install our fully modular solutions within a logistically challenging area.”
“It is a fully modular scheme, using our Roompod and Strucmet systems which have integrated seamlessly with the traditional construction programme” adds Stuart.
This will be Kier’s first ever fully modular development and it will be completed to a high acoustic rating due to its location on the main link road to the M1.
Elements Europe Wins Praise for Reduced Carbon Footprint
Elements Europe’s innovative modular construction techniques are being used to provide modern student accommodation at one of the UK’s leading universities.
The Shropshire based company, part of the Pickstock Group, is providing 538 student bathroom pods which are fully-fitted with showers, toilets and washbasins for a new scheme at Warwick University.
“This is the second accommodation project we have been involved in at Warwick,” explains Elements Europe’s Kevin Arthur. “For the earlier installation, we worked in collaboration with the main contractor, Kier to provide 505 bathroom pods for single rooms in an attractive design of 4 blocks called Bluebell.”
Bluebell proved to be one of the most sought-after accommodation venues with students when it was completed for the start of the 2011/12 academic year.
“The current scheme for The University of Warwick in partnership with main contractor Shepherd Construction,has an installation time for our pods of around 13 weeks which is a considerable improvement on traditional construction time-scales,” adds Kevin Arthur.
The units are manufactured at the company’s facilities in Shropshire. All of the bathroom pods are fully fitted with showers, toilets and washbasins and are tiled, wired and plumbed prior to leaving the factory. They are carefully craned into the building and fitted in place by our in-house specialist installation team.
Bob Wilson, the University’s Director of Estates says: “We make every effort to care for the environment in all areas of our work. As Warwick’s campus grows, we will always try to reduce our carbon footprint and using products manufactured off-site allows us to reduce deliveries and waste.”
Stuart Fanshaw, Shepherd Construction’s Project Leader, adds: “We are pleased to be able to provide this innovative method of construction through Elements Europe who has completed the work to a high standard and to a tight schedule.”
Elements Europe’s headquarters in Oswestry directly employs more than 200 staff who manufacture and fit out the modular bathrooms and bedrooms as well as providing roofing units, corridors and stairways for a range of multi-million pound schemes. These include – as well as student accommodation –residential, retail, hotels and nursing homes.
Medics Have Rooms – Thanks to a Rapid-Build Operation
The quality of accommodation now available to students at the University of Birmingham has recently improved as a result of Elements Europe’s Room pod system.
The Shropshire Company was chosen, following a rigorous selection process, to work alongside the Project Managers Edmond Shipway to provide a new 67-bed student block. The project is located in Harbourne near Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham. The challenge was that the premises had to be ready for use by Autumn 2011 that target was achieved thanks to Elements Europe’s Room pod system and now health students are enjoying comfortable accommodation while studying at the nearby University.
The flexible nature of Elements Europe’s building system allows speedy installation on-site following construction at its Oswestry manufacturing plant. The four-storey project includes bedroom modules with en-suites and kitchen areas, stair cores, ancillary rooms, steel infill panels and roof systems. Use of the Elements Europe’s modular system provides significant time savings for clients along with a high quality of finish.
Following the installation of the modules, the main contractor just had to complete the corridors, service connections and external cladding in preparation for the opening of the residences.
The Old and the New Combine in Premier Inn Project
The art deco style of the Thirties has been combined with the modular construction techniques of today to create a unique experience for hotel guests in Coventry.
Off-site construction company Elements Europe worked in collaboration with main contractor Leadbitter to manufacture and install a 101-bedroom Premier Inn hotel located at the City College in the Butts area of the town.
The college first opened in 1935 during the height of the art deco movement. The building
facade and key features such as leaded windows and columns have been retained in the sympathetic refurbishment.
The £1.2m project saw Elements Europe provide bedroom modules and bathroom pods as well as roof cassettes and plant rooms. The company’s structural steel frame product LSF Structure and Facade was incorporated into the build.
The college was extended from a two storey building using a transfer structure which allowed a third floor of Room pods to be installed.
Elements Europe’s sales director Michael Shand comments: “This scheme is a further extension of our experience in delivering on behalf of the Whitbread Premier Inn hotel brand at sites where we can implement our innovative Solopod, Roompod and Structmet off-site systems.”
Elements Europe manufactures the room modules off-site at its facility in Oswestry to international quality and environmental sustainability standards. The company is part of the Pickstock Group which consists of property and food related businesses.
Elements Europe is Completing a Major Construction Scheme in London
Elements Europe is in the midst of completing a major construction scheme in London. The company has provided 343 bathroom pods for the development- a mix of student and private accommodation- in partnership with the main contractor Mace.
Managing Director Andy Jones explains: “The Fieldgate Street scheme extends to eight floors, as well as bathroom pods, we have provided complete light steel frame structure, corridors, access and service areas for the development”
The impressive building with its unusual layout of angled rooms and corner windows overlooking central courtyards which are enclosed within the circular building has really demonstrated how adaptable modular methods of construction can be.
A great deal of careful planning has gone into the logistics of the project “The units are craned from lorries parked in a busy London street which requires a great deal of planning, risk assessment and carefully controlled operational procedures” explains Andy.
“We also have to take into consideration factors such as the wind speed but have the benefit of skilled operators who are trained and experienced in dealing with this type of installation.”
Fieldgate Street is one of many projects which Elements Europe is currently
involved in, ranging from student accommodation, hotels, care homes and retail.
The Pickstock Group Provides a Turn-Key Solution for a Boutique Hotel
Elements Europe working in collaboration with JR Pickstock have delivered a 73 bedroom boutique hotel.
This project was the first to be completed by Bloc Hotel, a new hotel chain which specialises in boutique budget accommodation. The hotel has a minimalist design with a contemporary architectural style. It is located in the heart of Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter close to the City Centre.
The hotel development team that brought this idea to fruition worked very closely with The Pickstock Group over the last 12 months to create an individual hotel for fast moving executives who are looking for chic overnight class and comfort.
The four-storey hotel was constructed on the site of the former Ashfield Motors garage and opened its doors in 2011. By manufacturing the hotel rooms’ within the Elements Europe factory, the overall programme, noise and disruption on-site was dramatically reduced.
The bedroom modules have a contemporary fit out that includes quality Italian panelling and Swedish carpeting. Each room is equipped with a large flat screen TV, king size beds and ambient Italian lighting. The high end en-suite bathrooms boast glass walls, porcelain tile floors and a flood shower head.
Andy Jones Managing Director of both Elements Europe and JR Pickstock comments: “It was a great opportunity for us to work on a boutique hotel as it further illustrates just how creative and flexible Modern Methods of Construction can be”
The project has created a contemporary building that will fit in with the hotel’s historic surroundings and provides luxurious and contemporary accommodation for its guests.
From starting on-site through to completion the programme lasted just 24 weeks, with Elements Europe installing all of the bedrooms and associated structural elements in just 10 days.
A First Class Care Facility for the UK’s Sixth Largest Independent Care Provider
Elements Europe worked in collaboration with the main contractor to construct a 75 bedroom care home for European Care Group, the sixth largest independent provider of health and social care in the United Kingdom. The Group provides care for over 4,000 service users from elderly to children and adults with special needs.
The £9.5 million project saw the delivery of 75 room pods with en-suite bathrooms and associated amenity constructed to the specific design requirements of both the healthcare operator and the Care Quality Commissioners.
The scheme also delivered off-site manufactured linen rooms, stair cores and corridor cassettes that seamlessly integrated with the traditional construction methods being applied on-site by the main contractor.
Elements Europe implemented their off-site room pod building system to provide high quality en-suite bedrooms tailored with modern safety features including, 24 hour nurse call systems, thermostatic controls and smoke detectors. They also feature modern comforts such as flat screen televisions in the bedrooms.
Kevin Arthur of Elements Europe says “By using our off-site room pod system the build programme was significantly faster with less snagging on-site”
Elements Europe, a member of The Pickstock Group successfully delivered the care home on schedule and within budget.
For more information you can read the case study Room Pods for European Care.