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The Dorchester

Location

Mayfair, London

Sector

Hospitality

Size

241 rooms and suites across 19 room types

Stage of appointment

RIBA Stage 4

Client

Dorchester Collection

PROJECT TEAM

Main Contractor: BECK London
Architect: ReardonSmith Architects
Interior Designer: Pierre-Yves Rochon, Martin Brudnizki Design Studio and Robert Angell Design International
Project Manager: Gardiner & Theobald
Building Services Engineer: PSH Consulting

OUR SCOPE ON THIS PORJECT

  • Design and MEPH management
  • Design and technical lead
  • Architectural support and technical design
  • Multidisciplinary design coordination
  • Client liaison
  • Contract and programme management
  • On site design resolution
  • Phased handover management

PROJECT OVERVIEW

The most significant transformation of the hotel in more than thirty years, the Grade II Dorchester underwent a £140m design-and-build refurbishment and extension delivered in three phases across three years.

The works covered the hotel in full. The forecourt and its landmark canopy, the ground floor front of house including The Promenade, the new Artists’ Bar and Vesper Bar, the Cake & Flowers boutique, the spa, and all 241 guest rooms and suites across 19 room types, from the guest floors through to the penthouses and the Royal Suite. The programme also included extensions at ninth floor level for new suites and an enlarged food and beverage offer, and a new leisure centre at first floor.

The building services were substantially replaced throughout, and The Dorchester remained open and trading for the duration, with each phase handed back into live operation.

OUR ROLE

We were appointed by BECK London as design and technical lead for the programme. The role combined design management with hands-on technical leadership, direct client liaison, contract and programme management, and resolving design issues on site as they emerged.

  • Acted as design and technical lead across the full three-year phased programme.
  • Managed twelve consultant teams and six direct reports, alongside a large body of specialist subcontractors, keeping a complex design team pulling in one direction.
  • Coordinated the design where a 1931 reinforced concrete frame and listed heritage fabric had to accommodate modern services, acoustics and comfort standards.
  • Coordinated a substantially full replacement of the building services through an occupied hotel, where continuity of supply to trading floors had to be maintained phase by phase.
  • Led direct liaison with the client, translating the expectations of a world-renowned luxury brand into technical decisions the site could build.
  • Resolved design issues on site as they arose.
  • Protected the interior design intent through construction so that the detailing, materials and finish quality were delivered to an exacting standard.

THE VALUE WE ADDED

  • Design leadership where there was no margin for error. On a Grade II listed landmark operating at the top of the global luxury market, we provided the technical authority to make decisions quickly and correctly.
  • Twelve consultant teams, one technical lead. We coordinated centrally and resolved conflicts before they reached site.
  • Design intent carried to the finish. On site design resolution and close control of the technical information meant that an internationally recognised interior scheme was delivered as it was drawn.
  • Phased handover into a live, trading hotel. Each phase was sequenced and completed so that areas could be returned to operation on programme, protecting revenue and guest experience throughout.

“Hot Pickle led this project with determination and conviction.” Lacroix, Dorchester Collection