Multidisciplinary engineering and consultancy firm – Meinhardt UK have been commissioned by Blakes Hotel to assist in bringing one of the world’s most distinctive five-star boutique hotels to Shoreditch.

In December 2016, the scheme’s architect Kyson won the go-ahead from Hackney Council to proceed with the development – work is now due to start on site early 2017 and to complete towards the end of 2018.

Meinhardt’s London team will be responsible for the structural and MEP work on the project.

We are delighted to have been appointed on this fascinating engineering project.

Patrick Hayes, a Director at Meinhardt UK, comments: “We are delighted to have been appointed on this fascinating engineering project, which will completely transform the site and add impetus to Shoreditch’s rapidly developing skyline.”

The site is in the London Borough of Hackney and occupies a large corner frontage to Corsham Street and Baches Street. It involves the demolition of the existing Satellite House – a former telecommunications centre and office block unused for 18 months – and the construction of the new eight-storey hotel.

The 87-room boutique hotel will comprise three individual cubes that intersect to form a whole. The shape, composition and materiality of these relate each of them to different elements of the surrounding urban fabric, from the nearby traditional Victorian warehouses to the new 11-storey student accommodation block opposite.

Building materials will be a mix of brick, concrete, steel and glass, creating an industrial aesthetic that ties in with the heritage of the area while maintaining a resolutely modern and minimalist approach.