Hotel Gotham

We were also require to find fittings to match existing heritage items and the gothic architecture style. To find specialist heritage items we had to engage with specialist supply chain partners. We were required to source replica exterior lighting to match existing heritage lighting which required us to liaise with a specialised supplier to have the lights specially fabricated in Spain and shipped to the project. Following liaison with English Heritage the lights which weighed 40kg were secured onto the building using cast resin fixings to ensure they didn’t damage the building exterior.

On the stair cores emergency lighting was required however for the lighting to match the existing decor we were required to install static invertors to achieve emergency lighting. Conduits were also wall mounted with specialist fixings to protect the building fabric and the interior designer attended site to mark out the exact routes of the conduits to ensure visual aesthetics.

Added value

English Heritage identified areas where holes and fixings would be restricted to protect the heritage decor and building fabric and there was a lack of ceiling voids in some areas. Building services were designed where possible to take alternative routes to avoid issues and dry riser and vents were coloured to match the existing decor. Utilised existing lift shafts for ductwork routes and ventilation to lower levels. Ductwork was flattened in the basement and bar area due to height restrictions on low ceilings and the lack of a ceiling void.

Logistics of getting the plant into the relevant plant rooms on the roof and in the sub basement. This was due to many factors including city centre road closures, a curved roof plant room with a limited access opening and limited space and a spiral staircase leading to the sub basement.

We liaised with Manchester City Council for road closure and there were strict restrictions to adhere to such as avoiding Pride weekend and the months of November and December due to the Christmas Markets. Plant had to be lifted into a central atrium on the 8th floor roof and then moved separately into the plant room. Taking space into consideration was critical both in sizing of the plant at design stage and also how the plant room layouts would work. Air handling units had to be sized accordingly to ensure they fit in the plant room and through the access opening as well as meeting the requirements of the building.

We used a specialist lifting company to get the boilers into the sub basement, in addition the heritage hand rail on the stairs had to be removed to ensure it wasn’t damaged during the process and reinstalled once the plant move was completed.