Frameclad were enlisted to design, engineer and manufacture a light steel frame system in one of the most scenic locations in Cumbria, creating a 71-bedroom 28,00sqft hotel on the site of the former Keswick Ravensfield care home with a project value of £8m. The creation of the hotel is expected to generate around £1.8m a year in additional visitor spend within the area.
Designed to be in keeping with the area, the Premier Inn hotel features locally quarried natural slate roofing and Lakeland stone walling, which wraps around the corners of the façade. The initial planning was revised to include lowering the roof ridge height at the front and back; reducing the scale of the building to three storeys; reducing the overall scale and ‘mass’ of the building; introducing a greater mix of materials including sections of Lakeland stone, render, slate and sections of metal seam cladding.
Sustainability during construction and for the life of the building was a key consideration in this project, while also ensuring the design was complementary to the spectacular surroundings. Frameclad’s light steel framing was utilised as the main structure for the building, which allows for precision engineering, faster construction timelines, structural integrity, and resource efficiency. The light steel frames and components were fabricated offsite concurrently with site preparation and foundation work, facilitating parallel processing, and maximising the potential of the construction programme. Creating a warm frame environment through the application of insulation to the Frameclad light steel framing will provide enhanced thermal performance of the hotel, reducing heat transfer and improving energy efficiency.
Hotel facilities include a ground floor reception area, an in-house restaurant and bar, on-site car parking spaces, including EV charging points, and cycle lockers. As well as the very latest ‘standard’ bedroom, the hotel also offers 12 ‘enhanced’ Premier Plus rooms. Premier Inn has created 24 permanent jobs at the hotel.
By combining structural versatility, aesthetic appeal, design efficiency, sustainability, and durability, the Keswick Premier Inn project exemplifies the benefits of light steel framing, showcasing the exceptional structural versatility of steel, allowing for innovative and unique architectural designs. This design incorporated a variety of materials including sections of Lakeland stone, render, slate and sections of metal seam cladding to be used on the external envelope to mirror the rural surroundings in which the hotel resides.
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