PROJECT
ROOM2 HOMETEL BELFAST
Delivering a unique eco ‘hometel’ concept
A REINFORCED CONCRETE FRAME, COMPOSITE CLADDING ON THE FAÇADE AND TRADITIONAL BRICK WORK ON THE SIXTH FLOOR WERE AMONG COMPLEX ELEMENTS FOR MAIN CONTRACTOR GANSON…
C o-ordinating multiple deliveries and contractors in a tight city centre site was among challenges faced by the main contractor leading construction of room2 Belfast. Northern Ireland’s first ‘hometel’, a variation of the aparthotel concept evoking home comforts, was developed by Oakland Holdings for room2 brand owner, the Lamington Group. Ganson Building and Civil Engineering Contractors Ltd commenced work on the project in 2021, after winning a single- stage tender for the £15m contract to design and build the hometel with a turnkey finish. Opened in October 2023, room2 Belfast features 175 rooms - most with kitchenettes - and a café, tearoom, restaurant, lounge, bar, meeting and
event spaces, and gym over nine floors. The fourth and largest room2 property and its first outside England, the Belfast site represents a total investment of £20m by the eco-conscious real estate company. The site was previously occupied by the Audio Times Building, later known as Lyndon Court, a three-storey structure of retail units and office space designed by Barrie Todd Associates and built over 1986 to 1987. After redevelopment attempts by another firm failed to come to fruition, Oakland Holdings submitted a successful planning application to demolish Lyndon Court and develop an aparthotel with bar, restaurant and conferencing facilities in 2019. room2 then secured a 25-year lease with
a tenant option to break at year 20, and Lyndon Court was demolished in 2020. Ganson commenced site-enabling works in August 2021, with FK Lowry starting
piling work the following month. The building was designed to the
Lamington Group’s specification, with the lease agreement contingent on the developer securing planning permission, building control approval and a minimum BREEAM rating of Very Good. Structured around a reinforced in-situ concrete frame, the building’s external walls feature a combination of brick, stone cladding and curtain walling. Specified finishes include ironmongery, some suspended ceilings, dry lining, flooring, painting, decorating and external works including enhancement of the streetscape.
“We feel we met and exceeded the client’s expectations.”
42 | NI BUILDER
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