Rewind 900 years to when gothic buildings were first designed and constructed in France. The first pointed arch, flying buttress, and ribbed vault all signified the height of Gothic design and technical advance. Gothic towers and ceilings are a design feat that still punctuate and impress modern landscapes.
Now fast forward to today (or more specifically a few weeks ago), when the largest hotel ever to be constructed from steel shipping containers opened for business. Could this be the Gothic arch for the 21st century?
Imported modules
The 307-bed Travelodge at Heathrow Airport was constructed by Verbus Systems in just 56 weeks, including demolition and site preparation, at a total cost of $22.9 million. London-based Verbus is at the forefront of modular construction, involved in projects spanning across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Each generic module is pre-made in China and imported, to be stacked high and then covered in a veneer of brick or more traditional building materials. The containers come complete with bathrooms, plastering and air conditioning units.
The method is not completely new: the project is a relative of the smaller scale Yotels at Heathrow, Gatwick and Amsterdam. Yotels’ construction director is John Graham, the pioneer of the Verbus system.
Although there are other construction companies specializing in modular construction, the concept has only started to expand and increase in popularity over the past few years. The new modular construction method offers not only simplicity, but also refinement, as Verbus’s director Paul Rollett explained to me.
Low-priced quality
Rollett is excited by the concept, which he calls ‘innovative’. The idea of economy, value and speed are vital, especially during a period of decreasing wealth and a shrinking economy.
At first, the concept of a factory-based product could seem a little vulgar, bypassing all elements of creativity, and the idea of hotels and accommodation built from imported modules might seem quite austere. However, the idea took on a brand new form when Rollett described the quality invested in the modular buildings.
“From a building regulations point of view we provide great value: a five star product at a two star price,” he explained.
He listed the advantages that the modules have to offer. The walls, separated by two feet of concrete, offer two hours of fire protection instead of one, while fixtures and fittings such as doors and taps are of the highest quality.
The thickness of the walls also protects against 56 decibels of sound instead of the recommended 43 minimum: indeed, aircraft cannot be heard from inside the rooms at Heathrow. Rollett calls this five star acoustic quality.
The cor-ten steel used for the modules is also known as ‘weathering’ steel, due to a chemical composition that resists atmospheric corrosion.
The pyramids that have lasted 10,000 years were not built of marble, nor was the Colosseum, Rollet said.
Factory lines
The production method is likened to a car manufacturing operations line and Rollett frequently uses analogies with the car industry. He says that the Verbus System complies with W Edwards Deming’s Statistical Quality Control Principles, as used by Toyota. The main parallels are that Verbus can produce buildings faster, cheaper, with less risk and delivered at a fixed price, through Total Quality Management.
Concerned mainly with the quality and utility of the product, Rollet revealed that he will build 200 hotels using just one design.
He explained that if a different appearance is needed, the same skeleton can be used but a veneer of material can provide the scope for new looks.
This will disenfranchise the status-quo, he said, revealing that architects and quality surveyors are not needed under the Verbus System.
It has taken a while for the modular method to find traction in the construction industry. Rollett said it has taken at least three years to really build a profit. However, now Verbus is undertaking massive projects and he refers to the Heathrow hotel as a Mickey Mouse project in comparison.
I am building a whole city, Rollett revealed. I’m building 38,000 apartments in 12 months for $5 billion dollars in the Middle East”.
Instead of slowing the company down, Rollett believes the recession has given the company a chance to prove its worth. Bring the recession on, he said. When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
