building branded hotels in emerging markets
BUILDING BRANDED HOTELS IN EMERGING MARKETS AN INTEGRATED PREFABRICATED SOLUTION FOR RAPID DELIVERY Who We Are Quant International is a specialist hotel development company and design and build contractor, providing fully integrated prefabricated design, construction and project delivery services for internationally branded hotels in emerging markets.
What We Offer Quant provides a complete “turnkey� design and build solution for branded hotels in emerging markets by using a proven, modern build process. Quant looks to build hotels in 12 to 18 months, compared with the competition which frequently takes between four and six years. Quant aims for higher standards of finishing works. Quant will deliver cost savings in the design and construction, usually of between 10% and 30% compared with traditional construction methods of equivalent quality. Quant has developed these methods in response to the practical difficulties that arise from following the traditional build approach.
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Common problems with the traditional approach
The integrated approach
Hotel construction in markets such as Sub-Sahara is generally exceptionally slow, with the typical construction period being between four and six years. The quality of construction is often sub-standard. It is also very expensive.
Quant uses modern manufacturing and construction techniques used by well known UK construction companies such as Laing O’ Rourke and Balfour Beatty. These have become the norm in western markets over the last 20 years. This approach is also sometimes known as design for manufacture and assembly or “DfMA.”
Problems that arise include: • skills shortages: the local workforce frequently lacks the necessary skills to execute the job properly • finishing works in these markets are often sub-standard, for example getting the ceilings level and the right standard of internal decorative finish • mechanical, electrical and plumbing installations are unsatisfactory and require remedial works. • Extended supply chains are weak exacerbating the problem All of these issues can lead to considerable delays. If the hotel brand is not satisfied with the standard of finish of the hotel, the brand will refuse to open the hotel for business. The traditional approach can also lead to increases in cost. The delays mean that the project is carrying a construction overhead for several more years. Construction costs in the Sub-Saharan region are substantially higher than in western markets. The time delays can incur further costs.
• The integrated approach involves combining a whole series of well proven manufacturing processes. • Elements of the building are designed for manufacture in factory controlled conditions: this ensures speed, cost saving and quality • Elements are integrated in the factory, so that multiple components are assembled in the factory: this applies for example to modules for the rooms and parts of the façade and roof envelope, thereby decreasing the number of supplies to site • Multiple components can be manufactured simultaneously • The resulting components can be readily assembled on site.
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Advantages of the integrated approach Quality and consistency
The DfMA approach means that the elements of the building are manufactured to a high quality finish in factory controlled conditions. This provides quality and consistency of results. It is particularly important for decorative finishes, which are greatly superior to what is usually achieved on site. This means that buildings can be finished to the exacting standards demanded by the international brands. This explains why the response of the international brands to the DfMA approach has been extremely positive: there is much greater likelihood of the hotel being delivered to their brand standard and in a reasonable time. The sooner that is done, the sooner the hotel is open for business. The DfMA approach is suitable for four and five star hotels as well as the mid-tier, business traveler hotel market. The consistency of quality achieved helps explain why a large proportion of hotels in western markets such as the UK are now built using elements of DfMA. The hotels are funded by institutional investors and the leading banks in the same way as for traditional build.
Speed of build Unlike the case with conventional projects, several activities can run in parallel with one another, resulting in a considerable reduction in time. With detailed programming, numerous elements of the building
can be manufactured simultaneously using modern fabrication techniques and shipped to site. Meanwhile as manufacture is taking place, the site is prepared and foundations are laid in readiness for the shipments. The elements of the building are then assembled on site in a fraction of the time that is taken by traditional construction. For example, hotel rooms can be erected at a rate of 30 units per day. This speed of delivery means that the core elements of the hotel can be assembled in timescales of only a few months.
4 In the UK, Quant is able to reduce a typical two year construction period for a conventionally built hotel to about 12 months. Allowing for greater local difficulties in emerging markets, Quant targets a construction period of 18 months or less. In time, the aim is to reduce this to 12 months. The approach also leads to greater certainty on programming, enabling the hotel operator to determine an official opening date and carry out pre-opening publicity.
Savings on professional fees Quant is able to deliver savings on the cost of the professional fees for the design and build of hotels. Typically these can range between 12% and 17.5% of the build cost. Quant reduces the professional fees by adopting an integrated approach with a specialist focus on the design and construction of hotels. It does so by bringing core skills “in-house� and by retaining a closely-knit team of specialists and consultants who work together on a series of hotel projects.
Savings on construction Quant is able to carry those savings through to the construction stage. This derives from cost-effective sourcing of supplies while maintaining the highest quality standards; savings from mass production; a foreshortened construction period and avoiding the need to bring in skilled labour in order to achieve brand standards. The levels of savings that are achievable by Quant vary between 10% and 30% according to country and project compared with traditional build.
The largest saving of all, however, comes from the shorter construction period. This enables the investor to invest for a shorter time and refinance more quickly on completion. The shorter investment period increases returns.
Strength and lightness The overall build system is considerably lighter than conventional forms of construction requiring lighter foundations and lower ground bearing conditions. The system is also more robust in its performance, and as an integrated structural system is more resistant to earthquakes than conventionally constructed buildings.
Asset management Essential to the success of the hotel is the ongoing asset management of the building. Quant uses design and construction methods that minimise the requirements for ongoing maintenance and greatly reduce the cost. The buildings are designed with ease of asset management in mind, using high quality materials with a long lifespan, and operational systems that are robust and easy to operate. Care is taken to source equipment that may readily be serviced in the given location and for which parts are readily obtainable. Particular attention is given to mechanical fittings such as lifts and electrical pumps to ensure that these are supported by an effective supply chain. The buildings are fitted with electronic systems to assist in the diagnosis of faults, so that should these occur, they can readily be addressed.
5 In addition to this, Quant is able to provide greater predictability of maintenance and capital expenditure. This ensures that ongoing investment can be properly budgeted for and that the asset retains its value and continues to produce peak performance in years to come.
Phasing The build system lends itself to further rooms being added as part of a structured, phased incremental growth as occupancies increase and further capacity is required. Each phase of a prefabricated modular building can be ‘self-contained’ - thus minimising disruption to existing hotel operations.
Sustainability and energy reduction Sustainability and energy reduction are at the heart of Quant’s approach. Some of the advantages include: • up to 67% less energy is required to produce a modular building • lower maintenance costs: tests have shown that factory produced building systems perform up to 70% better than site-based building methods • materials are used more efficiently in the factory resulting in less waste • excellent air-tightness, thermal and acoustic performance • renewable technologies can readily be integrated.
An example of a proposed Sri Lankan hotel bedroom wing façade using locally procured, manufactured and installed bamboo solar shading, privacy screens and timber lattice balustrading to balconies.
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307 - room Travelodge hotel at Heathrow Airport using a modular build system
Local context and employment As the high end technologies are executed under factory conditions, relatively lower level skills are tailored specifically for site operations involving local operatives. Thus, for example, activities such as site works, civil works, assembly of volumetric units and fixing and finishing of external cladding, which are relatively unskilled, can be undertaken using local labour. The design of the hotel can include local cultural references and materials.
This creates employment opportunities and strengthens connections with the local community. Examples range from faรงade treatments (such as solar screens and balustrades), landscaping and the internal fit-out of public areas, through to textiles, art works and other decorative elements.
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Project Delivery Integrated team
Quant International believes that a fully integrated project delivery process can only be achieved through a fully integrated core team of constructors, specialists and consultants with expertise in investment, financial, legal, architectural, engineering and construction delivery. This enables a combined input from the start to the completion of a project, to respond quickly to changing conditions, to be flexible to rapidly changing requirements in international markets, and thus to save time and costs which are passed back to our client. In procuring the project, Quant works with a select group of ‘specialist partners’ in the delivery of each part of the building. Each of the specialist partners has responsibility for specific areas of prefabrication and the interfaces between these areas. Thus, for example, the specialist partner responsible for a fully integrated façade system is also responsible for the specialists providing windows, external doors, curtain walling, grilles etc. – in fact, any component that would penetrate through or be attached to the façade system.
Lead contractor Quant delivers the construction as lead contractor, taking overall responsibility for the project. Quant team members have been involved in building some ten hotels in the UK using prefabricated construction. Each member of Quant’s delivery team has specialist
expertise in construction using offsite build techniques. Furthermore, the team members have many years’ experience of successfully delivering construction projects on time and on budget to international standards as an experienced international lead contractor in ‘frontier’ markets. This includes overcoming issues to do with poor local infrastructure, shortage of quality materials and long-distance supply chains. Quant establishes a local office in country for each of its projects to resource the project. Quant works with ‘best of breed’ local contractors for each of the relevant markets.
Full DfMA Quant has developed a fully integrated design and construction solution for the entire building from the foundations upwards. This comprises: • an ‘internal’ volumetric system of bedrooms • similar volumetric system of ancillary units, such as lifts and staircases • an ‘external’ elemental envelope system of façade and roof cladding, including windows and doors, that is fully compatible with the bedrooms • modular mechanical, electrical and plumbing services • prefabricated elements such as solar shading and curtain walling
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BIM In contrast to other companies that treat prefabricated elements as “add-ons”, Quant applies DfMA as the primary driver in the design and construction process throughout the hotel. This results in a shorter construction programme and reduced cost.
Building Information Modelling (or “BIM”) assists in the integration of the various elements. BIM is the leading edge process encouraged at UK government level and by building and design industry leaders to improve the processes for the design and construction of buildings. Traditional building design is largely reliant upon two-dimensional drawings (plans, elevations, sections, etc.).
Premier Inn hotel, Trafford Centre, Manchester
Rezidor Park Inn brand being constructed in Woolwich, East London
9 BIM extends this beyond 3D, augmenting the three primary spatial dimensions (width, height and depth) with time as the fourth dimension (4D) and cost as the fifth (5D). BIM therefore covers more than just geometry. It also covers spatial relationships, light analysis, geographic information, and quantities and properties of building components (for example, manufacturers’ details). Quant uses BIM to model the cost as well as the design and integration of the building components. This steadily reduces costs by identifying potential areas for savings and enabling that information to be captured and carried over effectively into future projects.
inspected during manufacture, independently monitored by Lloyds Insurance, individually signed-off to quality benchmarks prior to delivery, and sealed until unlocked on site.
Volumetric system A self-supporting volumetric steel modular bedroom/corridor unit with the same design life as traditional build forms the core of the prefabricated system. The system was developed by Buro Happold, a highly regarded structural engineering firm. The units comprise a composite wall, floor and roof structure that provides superior insulation for acoustic, thermal and fire performance. The units can be adapted to suit the sizes required by different hotel brands and are fully fitted out to hotel brand standards in the factory prior to delivery to site. All services are pre-installed in modular form in the units, and designed for easy connection to services above, below and to the side of each unit. The units are structurally self-supporting to a height of 16 storeys, designed to be transported by sea and road, and for ease of site assembly at a rate of 30+ units per day. They are factory tested and
Typical Prefabricated Hotel 2 Bedroom unit
Staircases and lift shafts Staircases and lift shafts are similarly manufactured as completed prefabricated units in accordance with the modular sizes established for the bedroom units and assembled on site. High end engineering, assembly and finishing skills are carried out in controlled factory conditions to minimise risk. Site works are minimal and relatively low skilled, consisting of the assembly, finishing work at corridor connections and ‘plug and play’ services connections.
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Volumetric units shown in assembled form with modular lifts and staircases
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Modules lowered and bolted into place
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Stairs pre-fitted in circulation modules
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Modular cladding system as single component (when required) can be attached before module is lifted into place
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Option A - Ground floor structure provided as traditional construction
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Complete modular units craned into position
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Option B - Ground floor structure provided as a ready to assemble prefabricated “kit of parts”
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Signature cladding system can be attached in module size sections before module is lifted into place
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Pre-fabricated roof modules utilize connection technology shipped in “batches” in the volume of a shipping module
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Upper circulation module pre-fitted with lifts ready to “drop” upon completion of vertical core
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Enhancement features
Option C - Ground floor podium structure provided in units with spacer frames providing extra height if required
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Envelope system The building envelope (developed with Arcol Architects) comprises the façade and roof cladding systems, and is the primary determinant for the internal environment and energy performance of the building. The envelope is made of a steel framed cassette panel system with a core of glass wool insulation sandwiched between high density mineral fibre insulation boards with breather membrane to the outside, and a drainable aluminium, honeycomb panel external ‘skin’ which is fixed to the framing, and an external finish applied as required. An easily applied and hard wearing sprayed acrylic finish is shown on the illustrated example below. The roof panels have an additional marine plywood ‘wearing’ layer with an applied single ply waterproof membrane. For the external finish to the building envelope, a wide variety of materials (acrylic, timber, brick, stone, metal and glass) are available to suit the local design and context. The cassette panel system provides over an hour fire rating (in fire certification tests conducted by the BRE and Warringon Fire Research Laboratories), achieves an airborne sound reduction of 62dB, an exceptional u-value of 0.19W/m2K, and air tightness levels in excess of current UK building regulation standards. The panels are seamlessly connected using specialised tested systems that accommodate movement and maintain the thermal, acoustic and air tightness integrity of the panels themselves. A further development using proven technologies is the inclusion of windows, doors and any other external elements as part of the prefabricated cassette panel system.
This ensures that the envelope forms a continuous insulating enclosure to the volumetric core of the building, thereby increasing energy efficiencies and reducing the number of interfaces between the envelope and the core.
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Exploded view of the cassette panel system showing the constituent layers within a steel frame
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1 Acrylic render and base layer applied system 2 Aluminium honeycomb drainage panel
3 Breather membrane 4 Mineral fibre insulation board
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5 Mineral fibre glass wool insulation
6 Galvanised steel cassette framing 7 High density cellulose fibre gypsum board 8 Pre - applied internal finish
12 The development of a fully prefabricated external envelope and the resolution of the interface between the internal volumetric units and the envelope by Quant’s specialist team is key to providing a fully prefabricated building solution.
Components and elements Manufactured components and elements have been developed for those parts of the hotel that require larger spaces than can be provided by volumetric units, such as the public areas. These components and elements, in effect a ‘kit of parts’, connect and complete the building. They also provide the means for introducing more flexibility and individuality into the hotel design to respond to particular site requirements that may be necessary in different parts of the world. Components and elements include prefabricated transfer structures, columns and beams, staircases, curtain walling, handrails, canopies, solar shading, lighting and services modules. These are ‘ready-made’ and delivered to site for immediate erection and fixing as and when required. The volumetric units and envelope are designed to accept the rapid installation of prefabricated components. These include solar shading installations to individual windows, through to rooftop decks, balustrading and protective canopies which can be developed as a single system. This can also be integrated with rooftop services modules providing a seamless solution as illustrated.
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The building envelope showing an integrated window system and ‘clip on’ solar shading canopies 1 External face of prefabricated bedrooms unit 2 Fixing zone for modular facade and roofing cassette panels 3 Integrated facade and roofing cassette panels comprising the fully insulated airtight building envelope
4 Edge capping support to balustrading and structural steel elements above 5 Prefabricated window assembly post fitted into pre-installed framing collar connection to unit 6 Prefabricated solar canopy fixed to pre-installed rail for all facade elements
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CROSS SECTION
1 External face of prefabricated bedrooms unit 2 Fixingzone for modular facade and roofing cassette panels 7 6
PLAN
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3 Integrated facade and roofing cassette panels comprising the fully insulated airtight envelope
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4 Edge capping support to balustrading and structural steel elements above 5 Modular balustrading, post and beam lightweight structural support for shading and solar panels above 6 Prefabricated self-contained rooftop plant unit on stub column supports 7
Lightweight deck floor panels
A typical rooftop prefabricated component system comprised of integrated elements such as a roof deck, balustrading, shading structure, photovoltaic and solar panels, and self-contained plant unit
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MEP
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The mechanical, electrical, electronic, plumbing and drainage (MEP) installations are all prefabricated as modularised components and assemblies for rapid installation, connection and commissioning on site. Thus rooftop plant is manufactured as self-contained units to include air conditioning, heat recovery, solar hot water and photovoltaic panels in a single assembly that can be connected to pre-installed service risers connecting directly to bedroom clusters below. 3 1
1 Hot and cold water pipeworks 2 Trickle / boost ventilation controllers
3 VRF refrigerant pipework 4 Central extract ventilation duct
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A prefabricated self-contained rooftop plant unit forming part of a modularised services system 1 Solar hot water cylinder 2 Solar hot water collection panels
3 Photovoltaic panels to generate electricity 4 Constant twinfan ventilation from bathrooms
5 Heat recovery external condensing units VRF
An example of an operationally ready prefabricated vertical riser containing consolidated services
5 Electrical containment for power, data and fire alarm cabling 6 Double soil stack to avoid crossovers
Vertical services are consolidated in prefabricated risers that are directly accessible from corridors for general maintenance. Horizontal services runs are similarly housed in prefabricated ceiling cassettes above corridors, again to simplify connections and maintenance. All services installations required by individual hotel projects are supplied as prefabricated systems. These include modular water supply and storage systems, sewerage treatment plants, back-up electrical generators and grey water recycling systems.
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Contact
For further information please contact us.
Antoine West antoine.west@quantintl.com +44 (0)7884 065124 +44 (0)20 3102 5390 Hugh Miller hugh.miller@quantintl.com +44 (0)7931 707942 +44 (0)20 3102 5390 Quant International Property Group 70 St. Mary Axe London EC3A 8BE www.quantintl.com Registered office: Quant International Limited, 70 St. Mary Axe London EC3A 8BE Company registration no. 7050985
Quant’s core values are: • Professionalism – high standards of professionalism in all our dealings, attention to detail and delivering on time and on budget • Innovation – combining and applying the best of proven modern techniques in a thought through, integrated way • World-wide reach – using our core UK and international expertise, having part of our team in the relevant country, and working with ‘best of breed’ contractors, suppliers and consultants in our specialist field.