Amsterdam-based hotelier citizenM has North America in its sites for major expansion that favors modular construction.
Having already opened two modular hotels in New York City, citizenM has two hotels under development in Los Angeles, including a 14-story, 183-ft, 216-key hotel at the intersection of Hollywood and Vine; and an 11-story, 315-room hotel at 4th and Spring Streets in L.A.’s historic Downtown Core.
CitizenM also has revealed plans to open two hotels in Seattle, and single hotels in Boston, Miami, San Francisco, and Washington DC.
See Also: DeSimone Consulting Engineers designs the tallest modular hotel in the United States
In Seattle, construction started in March on the 93,245-sf South Lake Union citizenM hotel, which Mortenson Construction is building with 228 steel-framed modular units that were prefabricated in Poland by Polcom, shipped 9,473 miles via the Panama Canal to the Port of Everett, Wash, and transported by truck to the jobsite.
Steel-framed modules are shipped virtually complete, with beds, TVs, millwork, and bath fixtures installed. Image: Courtesy Mortenson
Polcom has supplied steel modules for numerous citizenM hotels in Europe, but wood framing or mass timber have been the more-common materials for modular projects in the U.S., even as height restrictions in most markets still limit the use of wood. “There is a large difference between wood frame modular construction and high-rise steel construction, which is what we are doing here in Seattle and in Los Angeles,” says Phillip Greany, Associate DBIA, LEED AP BD+C, general manager of Mortenson’s Seattle Operating Group in Kirkland, Wash.
The modules Polcom produces come virtually complete, with beds, wall-mounted TV screens, bathroom fixtures, doors and windows already installed. (The modules are wrapped in plastic and pressured to keep the components in place during transport.)
Modules used to build the hotel in Seattle traveled by boat nearly 9,500 miles from Poland to Seattle, where they were trucked to the job site. Image: Courtesy Mortenson
However, citizenM has brought on Gensler to design several of the hotels it is opening in the U.S., to ensure those buildings meet local Building, MEP, and Energy codes. (South Lake Union will be the first modular hotel in Seattle.) “There is also a major ground floor and basement that are conventionally built,” explains Greany, and will include an expansive lobby, a 24/7 canteenM food and beverage amenity, and four meeting areas.
He estimates that construction will take 13 months to complete, and that the 264-key Seattle hotel will be up and running by June 2019.
Related Stories
| Sep 3, 2014
Ranked: Top local government sector AEC firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
STV, HOK, and Turner top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest local government design and construction firms, as reported in the 2014 Giants 300 Report.
| Sep 3, 2014
New designation launched to streamline LEED review process
The LEED Proven Provider designation is designed to minimize the need for additional work during the project review process.
| Sep 2, 2014
Ranked: Top green building sector AEC firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
AECOM, Gensler, and Turner top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest green design and construction firms.
| Jul 28, 2014
Reconstruction market benefits from improving economy, new technology [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Following years of fairly lackluster demand for commercial property remodeling, reconstruction revenue is improving, according to the 2014 Giants 300 report.
| Jul 28, 2014
Reconstruction Sector Construction Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Structure Tone, Turner, and Gilbane top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest reconstruction contractor and construction management firms in the U.S.
| Jul 28, 2014
Reconstruction Sector Engineering Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Jacobs, URS, and Wiss, Janney, Elstner top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest reconstruction engineering and engineering/architecture firms in the U.S.
| Jul 28, 2014
Reconstruction Sector Architecture Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Stantec, HDR, and HOK top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest reconstruction architecture and architecture/engineering firms in the U.S.
| Jul 23, 2014
Architecture Billings Index up nearly a point in June
AIA reported the June ABI score was 53.5, up from a mark of 52.6 in May.
| Jul 21, 2014
16 utility questions to answer during your building project
We need electricity to power our building projects, along with water and gas and a faultless sanitation system. That’s what we think about when we think about utility requirements for our building project, but are we missing something? SPONSORED CONTENT
| Jul 21, 2014
Economists ponder uneven recovery, weigh benefits of big infrastructure [2014 Giants 300 Report]
According to expert forecasters, multifamily projects, the Panama Canal expansion, and the petroleum industry’s “shale gale” could be saving graces for commercial AEC firms seeking growth opportunities in an economy that’s provided its share of recent disappointments.
