A new 138-bedroom Holiday Inn Express is rapidly take shape just outside Bridgwater, Somerset, hitting its milestone topping out in just six months thanks to innovative construction techniques being used by Midas.
The £10 million project is being built by Midas Construction, part of the Midas Group, on behalf of customer Zeal Hotels, and is believed to be the first in the South West to use a highly-efficient form of offsite and modular construction, delivering high quality finishes combined with considerably shorter build times.
The new Bridgwater Holiday Inn Express is situated on Junction 24 of the M5 motorway and will be one of the biggest hotels in the area, featuring a bar and restaurant, lounge area, meeting rooms and parking for more than 60 vehicles.
Due for completion in spring 2019, the hotel is being built to Holiday Inn Express group’s Generation 4 specifications and will provide accommodation for visitors to the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station and surrounding areas.
The building features perimeter pre-cast, acid-etch external finished and sandwich-insulated concrete panels, which are manufactured off site. These are craned into place and fixed to the frame of the building – also constructed using pre-cast concrete – instantly delivering a high-quality external finish and providing an internal surface ready for decorative finishes.
The windows, made by a specialist company in Bristol, are pre-glazed and installed into the pre-cast panels before being delivered to site. Bathroom pods are also manufactured locally, less than 10 miles from the construction site, before being delivered for installation.
Neil Lewis, Senior Project Manager at Midas Construction, said: “Off-site manufacturing isn’t new but this particular method of construction, and the standard of finishes it achieves, is a first for Midas and, we believe, the South West.
“We are subscribing to modern methods of construction and the innovative use of design and build techniques to deliver a more consistent product and finish for our customer.
“We’re impressed by the results and delighted to be leading the way in developing a new approach to hotel construction in the South West, which we hope will see greater take-up in the future.”
The scheme adds to a list of prominent construction projects recently completed by Midas in the region; including the award-winning National College for Nuclear Southern Hub for Bridgwater & Taunton College and Yeovil Innovation Centre for South Somerset District Council.
Midas Group’s strategy is to become the contractor of choice in the areas in which it operates, by developing long-term relationships through the delivery of its vision to be leaders in customer service and performance.
Midas Construction has worked closely with customer Zeal Hotels throughout the project, and representatives of both companies were on hand to celebrate topping out on 25th September as Midas marked reaching the high point of the build.
Tim Wheeldon, Managing Director of Zeal Hotels, said: “I am pleased this project is proceeding well, both on time and on budget. This highly efficient form of offsite and modular construction ensures a high quality of finish and we will certainly be looking to replicate this with our pipeline of additional hotel developments.
“Topping out is always a milestone and we are pleased to celebrate this today with Midas Construction along with several consultants on site.”
Portfolio holder for Economic Growth at Sedgemoor District Council, Cllr Anne Fraser, said: “It is exciting to see the progress being made on this important new asset for the District. It is particularly pleasing to see how many local businesses and people have already benefitted from the construction including the two apprentices taken on. We are now looking forward to the opening next year when Sedgemoor will be able to offer a wider range and choice of accommodation for people wanting to do business here or enjoy our wonderful countryside.”
