Aloft Hotel, Liverpool

29 Oct

Value - £12m | Client - Ashall Properties

Sensitive refurbishment of the Grade II Listed former Royal Insurance building to become a hotel.

The Aloft hotel, located at the junction of Dale Street and North John Street in Liverpool city centre, was formed within the Grade II Listed former Royal Insurance building. The original building was completed in 1906 and is thought to be one of, if not the, oldest steel framed building in the UK.

The building unfortunately sustained considerable water damage whilst it remained unoccupied from the late 1980s, affecting many of the original features within the building. Due to the heritage of the building, the refurbishment involved reinstating many of these original features, whilst bringing the building up to modern standards.

We were responsible for the civil, structural and building services design aspects of the project which included; the addition of a new fifth and sixth floor dormer, new lift installation, new dumbwaiter, new mezzanine, underpinning works, in addition to the assessment of the existing steel frame for the effects of the water damage. Of particular structural merit is the existing floor depth arched truss at second/third floor level, enabling the grand column free ground floor, with the first floor hung from the transfer truss.

The project teams extensive use and application of BIM from the outset was fundamental in the delivery of the project both on time and within budget. Resolving conflict between mandatory obligations, the client’s aspirations and the listed building were key challenges that had to be addressed in order to integrate a modern, new building into the existing fabric. Through collaboration with key stakeholders all elements of the project were discussed, ensuring customer satisfaction throughout.