The conversion of this landmark Victorian building originally constructed in 1836 as a railway hotel, occupies a gateway site next to Lime Street Station. The project is to upgrade the existing structure to provide four-star accommodation across 202 bedrooms, which has already been subject to a number of phases of refurbishment and alteration of structural elements.
The site is a listed structure which required expertise to carry out the refurbishment to ensure architectural landmarks were retained. It is located adjacent to Liverpool Lime Street station with a Mersey Rail tunnel and station passing under the building which further complicated the approach required for this scheme. The Fairhurst team designed the modifications to the existing fabric including new access routes and significant alterations at the higher floors. The design team also obtained Network Rail approval for packages such as a new plant deck supported on the retail unit roof.
The project team demonstrated engineering excellence and creativity to achieve the complex demands of the project winning them the Best Medium Building – IStructE Regional Award.
