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HA + D Conference — Macau June 2010
Conrad Smith travelled to Macau in June to join a panel of distinguished speakers at the HA+D Conference sponsored by the Hospitality Architecture + Design magazine. At a session entitled "Adaptive Re-use: Rejuvenation, Reinvention and Renovation", Conrad was joined by Federico Masin, F&B Design Director of Hirsch Bedner Associates/ HBA and Duncan Palmer, Vice President — Design of Langham Hotels & Resorts to debate some of the key issues related to renovation. In the course of his presentation, Conrad addressed the following points:
The importance of building an inclusive project management team and who to include:
"It is vitally important from the outset that the entire project team — architects, PM, interior designers, QS, M&E, building control — should be on board for the first meetings even if the bulk of their work is further down the line. In this way, a strong plan that is understood by everyone is put into place and there is a reduced chance of enforced changes being needed later on in the programme. Effective project management is really important; doing the job properly the first time around saves time and money in the long run."
The significance of being historically accurate and the best way to introduce elements that have been modernised for the current market:
"It is extremely important for a hotel renovation to be historically accurate. If you are going to do it at all — do it well. The first priority must be to get the historical aspects right and then of course you can modernise by, for example, increasing the size of the bathrooms, adding new technology, installing lifts, planning for DDA requirements etc… It is also important to refurbish with the environment and energy saving in mind. When new elements are introduced they should be as unobtrusive as possible."
Evaluating whether to keep a property open during renovation or to close it completely:
"This really depends on the scale of the project. If the hotel is to be more-or-less totally refurbished and certainly if there is to be an element of re-building, it is definitely better to close entirely. The construction programme will be quicker, there is less risk of upsetting guests and the loss in hotel revenue is likely to be at least partially off-set by lower build costs. Besides, if it is a very old building, no one ever really knows what will be found — either needing careful removal or specialist preservation — until it is opened up. Also, the way in which the different parts of the infrastructure relate to each other may have become obscured over time and you don't find this out until the building is stripped. Grosvenor House in London was an example of a total refurbishment programme where the owner decided not to close the hotel. The total programme took seven years. There were issues surrounding change of ownership which impacted the project but there can be no doubt that the work would have been completed much more quickly had the hotel closed."
Disasters that have been uncovered in renovation projects and the best way to deal with any costs and overruns:
"You name it! Asbestos, walls packed with reeds, rusting steel frames — let alone wiring and plumbing that are more idiosyncratic than one might have ever thought possible. And how to deal with these? First of all — don't panic? Secondly, get the client on board and, as a team, look at the options. The hotel still needs to be redesigned properly. It is invaluable to have a project team that communicates well at this stage.
The chances of unforeseen problems arising during rebuilding are far less likely if the project is procured in two contract phases: the enabling contract and then the main contract. In this way, the detailed design and rebuilding plans can be made on the basis of what is known. Clients are often reluctant to do this because they think this route will take longer and be more expensive. So often though, this is not the case."
"Lost treasure" found in renovation projects and how to incorporate this into the new design - and if a major rethink is necessary, how to communicate this to the owner:
"Oh yes, we have found some interesting ‘treasures’ in the course of our many renovations — original ceilings, hidden bronze windows and Victorian wallpaper under layers of other wall cladding — as well as more bizarre discoveries like Hitler's telephone exchange system for Eastern Europe, state listening devices and mountains of stale mince pies stashed away in basements. I've even heard tell of a hotel acquired some time ago in Moscow that — unbeknownst to the new owner –—housed in one of its many basements a busy branch of the KGB!
Spies and mince pies apart, it may be possible to incorporate some "lost treasures" into the new design, or to replicate them. Certainly, they should be preserved. At The Savoy, for example, the sprung dance floor is not appropriate in the new Winter Garden so we recorded its location for future generations before carefully laying a new floor over it. Clearly, any item of interest or value that is uncovered should be archived for future use. It is such records that act as guardians of the ‘soul’ of a grand old hotel."
