Zeal Hotels has turned to UK manufacturer Offsite Solutions to create bespoke shower pods for a new eco-hotel in Exeter.
The £700,000 contract to provide 134 GRP shower pods is the third project the company has secured with the business.
Situated in Exeter Science Park, the project represents the first of a number of eco-hotels Zeal plans to deliver. It will also be the first to use Offsite Solutions’ recently lauched GRP tile-effect bathroom pod finish.
Earlier, Offsite Solutions successfully completed two pod contracts: for the Ibis Plaza Hotel, and the Holiday Inn Express in Bridgewater, Somerset. Both were developed by Zeal.
Tony Clark, director of Zeal Hotels, said: “Sustainability was the main driver for our specification of GRP bathroom pods because of the [recyclable] properties of GRP.
“We have worked closely with the Offsite Solutions team to develop a carbon reducing solution for the bathrooms. The use of pods will also radically reduce traffic to site and optimise materials to cut waste.
“There are clear quality and programme benefits of manufacturing the bathrooms offsite. The Offsite Solutions team are proactive, collaborative, have performed on every Zeal project, and are committed to the sustainability agenda.”
The net zero Exeter hotel is due to open in 2024, and is designed by ECE Westworks. It is aiming for a BREEAM ‘outstanding’ rating, and will feature co-working space, meeting rooms, restaurant, bar, gym, gardens, and EV charging points.
Red Construction South West is the main contractor on the project.
James Stephens, managing director of Offsite Solutions, said: “Modular bathroom pods are a perfect solution for hotels, which tend to have aesthetically identical bathrooms that are ideal for manufacturing offsite.
“The pods are delivered to site as finished bathrooms, having been fully fitted-out and tested before leaving the factory. The quality of finish is enhanced in a production line environment and by reducing work on site, we can contribute to a faster build programme and ROI for the hotel developer.”
Sustainably manufactured and fitted out offsite in controlled factory conditions, the finished bathrooms will be installed on site in just a few hours, the company says. This approach reduces construction waste through more efficient use of materials. Quality will also be superior and more consistent with offsite manufacturing.
Offsite Solutions’ design team collaborated with Zeal to develop the contemporary bathrooms for the new Exeter hotel. Each ensuite shower room will feature two GRP tile-effect finishes in matt white – a new horizontal stack bond metro design on the bottom half of the walls with a 350mm square tile-effect above.
The tile-effect finishes are integral to the pods and remove the need for grout and tiles to the wet areas. This means, the company says, that the pods will be much easier to clean and maintain over the life of the bathrooms.
The shower rooms will have a 1,300mm shower with sliding glass door, thermostatic shower on a sliding rail, and a modern metal box frame to support a solid surface vanity top, counter-top rectangular hand basin and integral towel rail.
There will also be a back-lit rectangular mirror with integrated demister pad, wall hung toilet with white solid surface vanity shelf above, towel shelf, LED lighting, and an acoustic vinyl floor in sun-bleached oak. The bespoke metal work for the vanity box frame and towel rails will have a grey-green metal finish.
Stephens added: “Having worked on a number of Zeal Hotels projects, we are absolutely delighted to have been appointed for their first net zero hotel and the first to be operated under their own brand.”
Read next: Holcim acquires cutting-edge German roofing specialist
Are you a building professional? Sign up for a FREE MEMBERSHIP to upload news stories, post job vacancies, and connect with colleagues on our secure social feed.
