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
Building Materials | Jan 9, 2017
Architects and researchers are developing new techniques for building in space
As setting foot on Mars becomes a more realistic goal, the search for how to best develop Architecture for the Red Planet is heating up.
Modular Building | Jul 22, 2016
PNC Bank’s 'Tiny Branch' opens on West Virginia University campus
The new branch doesn’t need much space for its ATM and new accounts and personal loans services.
Transit Facilities | Jun 12, 2016
Philippines’ oldest city getting its first public bus system
New York-based CAZA designed the modular bus stops with the city’s extreme weather conditions in mind.
Modular Building | May 17, 2016
Oklahoma’s first modular hotel will begin construction next month
Guerdon Modular Buildings will produce 81 modules for this project.
Modular Building | Feb 26, 2016
CHPS releases new program, first model for prefab modular classrooms
Provides standards for indoor air quality, energy efficiency, materials, and waste management.
Game Changers | Feb 5, 2016
Asia’s modular miracle
A prefab construction company in China built a 57-story tower in 19 days. Here’s how they did it.
Game Changers | Feb 4, 2016
GAME CHANGERS: 6 projects that rewrite the rules of commercial design and construction
BD+C’s inaugural Game Changers report highlights today’s pacesetting projects, from a prefab high-rise in China to a breakthrough research lab in the Midwest.
Modular Building | Feb 1, 2016
Hotel developers turn to modular construction to meet demand
A $90 million rebuilding project in Yellowstone National Park exemplifies this trend.
| Jan 14, 2016
How to succeed with EIFS: exterior insulation and finish systems
This AIA CES Discovery course discusses the six elements of an EIFS wall assembly; common EIFS failures and how to prevent them; and EIFS and sustainability.
Modular Building | Dec 13, 2015
Undaunted, Forest City pushes ahead on modular construction
The president of its FC Modular division says new projects are under consideration, even as competitors falter or fall by the wayside.