RIU Plaza Hotel
Located in the prime location of Neathouse Place, next to Victoria station the four-star hotel features a Bar, Restaurant and a gym spread across the twelve floors.
McLaren successfully delivered the Riu Plaza Hotel - the hoteliers first hotel in the UK. Delivered on behalf of RIU Hotels & Resorts, the new Central London hotel becomes part of the RIU city brand as the hoteliers continue to expand in the UK market.
Key points
The project features a main ‘Tower’ which spans across a live road (by way of a 20m post tensioned box girder) and includes three additional ‘podiums’ that were extended to incorporate guestroom space.
To maximise floor space, the main tower features a bespoke steel floor slab extension arrangement and a complex new Schuco façade.
The podiums and ground floor areas feature Schuco curtain walling and a glass reinforced concrete façade around the perimeter. Below the road the hotel includes thirty subterranean guestrooms and back of house space.
Exceeding expectations
During their time at Riu, the team exceeded their S106 commitments set by Westminster Council by creating twenty-two new construction jobs and apprentices’ opportunities instead of the required fourteen.
The project also hosted thirty-four weeks of work experience above the stipulated twenty-four.
Additionally, the project also organised eighteen curriculum support activities through regularly visiting local schools and colleges to speak to students, host interview skills workshops and host Q&A sessions for students preparing to enter the industry.
They also invited local schools and colleges to visit the site to view work being carried out and get a feel for construction.
Sustainability at the core
With sustainability in mind the re-use much of the buildings existing structure was a significant contributing factor to the environmental impact of the project.
With sustainability in mind the re-use much of the buildings existing structure was a significant contributing factor to the environmental impact of the project.
The project team worked alongside key members of the Design Team to carry out an exercise with Aros (Architects) and the Evolve (Structural Engineers) to repurpose the existing structural frame rather than demolishing and re-building.
This resulted in an embodied carbon saving of 5,365 tonnes compared to carrying out the project with a new reinforced concrete frame.
Overcoming challenges
The team overcame numerous challenges throughout the project one of which being the scaffold erection and installation of the new façade to the main tower, this was carried out over the top of a very busy two-lane part of Neathouse Place passing under the central section of the project.
With the road being a Red Route for Buses and incorporating a Black Taxi rank to feed Victoria Station, TFL stipulated that road closure would not be feasible.
To overcome this, the project team utilised a very complex scaffold ‘bridge’ to span across the road and allow them to carry out the façade removal and reinstatement safely whilst maintaining operation of the red route below.
We are very pleased to reach completion on Riu’s flagship UK hotel here in London as they continue to expand their global portfolio.
Reaching completion on a project with as many complex features as this is a testament to resolve of the McLaren team who worked tirelessly to get the project over the line
