Phase 1 of this development involved the conversion of the 19th Thomas Prior House School buildings into a 12,000m2 300 bed apart-hotel.  The existing building dates back to the last century and was built in high Victorian Style.  The original facades are Grade 2 listed and needed to be retained and incorporated into the new development.

In addition to retaining the facades, this project provided a number of other challenges for PUNCH Consulting Engineers; perhaps the biggest was the issue of buildability.  The basement plan area covers approximately 80% of the site which applied significant limitations to the main contractor; and meant that a very close working relationship needed to be developed with the main contractor from the outset of the project.

The blend of old and new has been very successful on this project with a new modern interior complimented by the timeless exterior of the original building.

Phase 2 of the works involved the construction of approximately 40 additional bedrooms by adding an additional floor to the hotel while maintaining the building in full operation as a hotel.