Maybourne Hotel Group

With a history spanning over 150 years, Maybourne Hotel Group manages some of London’s most iconic luxury hotels.

Maybourne Hotel Group appointed our team to help them expand and upgrade their network of hotels. We applied cutting-edge solutions to reinvigorate two of their beloved properties, Claridge’s and the Berkeley. We also engineered their new standalone establishment, the Emory. We navigated multiple complexities to achieve this, without any interruptions to hotel operations.

Key achievements

Location

London, United Kingdom

Client

Maybourne Hotel Group

Project Status

Completed

Optimised construction

Extensive research into the schematics and materials of the existing hotels allowed the scope of work to be streamlined, leading to significant cost savings for the client.

Future ready

Our engineering expertise was used to smoothly extend the existing hotels, including the development of deep basements to house spas, pools and to provide below ground spaces for the plant rooms.

Specialist expertise and advisory

We applied bespoke engineering solutions to ensure the existing hotels remained operational throughout the construction, with limited disruptions to hotel guests.

Opening a new chapter for Claridge’s

Nestled in Mayfair, Claridge’s five-star hotel is world-known for its grandeur. Over the course of its operation, the hotel has undergone a series of modifications, resulting in the construction of its distinguished Victorian building and Art Deco wing.

To keep pace with the evolving hotel industry, it was vital for the Grade II listed building to undergo a refurbishment to stay front of mind among its clientele. Leveraging our extensive experience in the hospitality sector, our team was selected to provide structural, civil and geotechnical engineering expertise for the project, helping Claridge’s to re-establish itself as a top luxury destination.

Discovering untapped possibilities below ground

Following an extensive analysis of the schematics and thickness of raft structures, we confirmed that a deep basement could be built underneath the Art Deco wing of the building. This allowed the existing reinforced cement raft to be converted from a foundation slab to a suspended slab, enabling five levels to be built underneath to make space for the new pool, spa facilities and plant rooms.

We also conducted comprehensive archive data research to uncover the extent of a steel sheet pile wall along the eastern boundary of the Victorian building. This meant the original scope of work for groundwater ingress mitigation could be significantly reduced, leading to sizeable cost savings for the client.

Expanding luxury with a lightweight design

To double the hotel’s size, two upper storey low-quality floors were demolished on the Victorian building, with four new floors built. This also involved adding three new storeys on the Art Deco building.

A complex analysis of each building’s load bearing capacity was undertaken by us, which confirmed the need to implement a lightweight design for the new storeys. Steel-framed roof extensions, along with prefabricated timber cassettes and dormer windows were harnessed to support this objective. The result? These unique features have reinforced the structure of the hotel, with high-quality finishes used to ensure the new structure fits in seamlessly with the hotel’s retained floors.

Claridge’s basement extension was quite a unique aspect of the job and not something that can be done to every building. After an extensive analysis of the hotel’s structure, our team reaffirmed that a deep basement could be constructed underneath the Art Deco wing of the building. Essentially, the foundation slab was converted into a suspended slab to support the below ground works, providing space for pools, spas and plant rooms to be built in the hotel to better serve its guests.

Ron Slade Fellow and Director, WSP

Ron Slade Fellow and Director, WSP

Building a new standalone hotel beside the Berkeley

Situated in Knightsbridge, the Berkeley has undergone a series of major refurbishments and redesigns over the last five years to reinvigorate the building, with our team supporting various aspects of this work. A unique component of the project was the construction of the Emory, which is London’s first all-suite hotel.

The Emory has garnered quite a buzz since opening its doors, with notable mentions by the Financial Times, British Vogue and CN Traveller. It incorporates an integrated hotel design and is among the last buildings attributed to the late Lord Richard Rogers. Having worked extensively on other Maybourne Hotel Group projects, our team was appointed as the structural, geotechnical and facade engineer for the construction of the Emory.

Engineering a jewel-like facade

One of the distinctive aspects of the Emory is its articulated facade, especially its roof structure (known as the Crown). We worked alongside RSHP to help bring to life their vision of creating London’s next landmark luxury hotel, embodying the notable exquisiteness of all Maybourne Hotel Group locations.

To achieve this, outer spans of the floors were supported by vertical tension members expressed in the facades and suspended from the Crown. This created column free spaces in the elevations of the ground floor restaurant and lounge, giving the hotel its distinguishable crystalline aesthetic.

Walking a tightrope

Designing a deep basement to house the Emory’s pool, spa facilities, and mechanical and electrical plant rooms was a delicate balancing act. The proximity of the Piccadilly Line, operating just 6 meters from the site boundary, posed a significant challenge.

Through extensive geotechnical modelling, we developed a meticulously planned top-down construction sequence to control movement and safeguard the Underground Line, as well as the surrounding roads and buildings. To address vibration issues, the superstructure was built off isolation springs at ground level.

Additionally, the pool, spa, and treatment rooms were constructed using box-in-box techniques. This unique approach mitigated acoustic disturbances from above and below ground, ensuring a serene and undisturbed environment for guests to enjoy the facilities.

We are proud to have utilised our breadth of expertise and knowledge in existing and new buildings to support the Maybourne Hotel Group. The completion of the projects will help Maybourne Hotel Group to better serve its guests and reinforce its position as a leading provider of luxury accommodation.

Interested in learning more about our services for adapting existing buildings? Get in touch with one of our engineering experts today.