apartment hotel
Valentin Apartments Sölden
PORR planned and constructed a new apartment hotel with 28 apartments and 36 underground parking spaces in Sölden.
For implementation, PORR was guided solely by the client’s planning submission design and an on-site inspection of a hotel owned by the employer. Despite complicated foundation works and a very tight cost and time budget it was handed over on schedule.
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EmployerHotel Valentin GmbH
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ContractorPORR Bau GmbH
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Order typeTotalunternehmer
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Project typeBuilding construction, Residential construction
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Project scopeDemolition of the existing building and design and construction of a new apartment hotel
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Order volumeEUR 7.0 million
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Construction start04/2017
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Construction end11/2017
Background
In December 2017, Hotel Valentin GmbH opened a new 4-star apartment hotel in Sölden, not far from the parent building, the Hotel Valentin. The opening was preceded by a design and construction process that placed high demands in terms of price, time and technical expertise on PORR, as the general contractor. The basis of the offer comprised only the client’s planning submission design, which included a visualisation of the exterior, and a 7-million-euro price limit. An on-site inspection of the parent building, which was to serve as a close model for the interior design, provided the only available guidance.
No plans were available for the interior design or the building technology. PORR created a time and cost plan for the demolition of the “Pension Waldheim” and the construction of the new apartment hotel on the basis of an exclusivity agreement. As PORR was able to meet the strict price limit, Hotel Valentin GmbH awarded them the sole contractor agreement for both the demolition and the design and construction of the new building in late 2016.
With the apartment hotel Valentin in Sölden we have realized a project that only sounds like routine at first.
The foundation works
The earthworks represented a major source of uncertainty as to whether the cost and time framework could be met. The team were aware that the soil consisted not only of clay and peat, but rock formations as well. However, they did not know how much rock they would ultimately be confronted with. A certain cubage of rock was agreed upon with the client as part of the fixed total amount. Anything beyond that was to be offset by savings potentials in three areas, the interior fittings for example, which were precisely defined beforehand and stipulated in the contract. As the actual rock cubage was in fact significantly larger, two of these three savings potentials had to be implemented. The venetian blinds, for example, which had been part of the original design, were sacrificed to compensate for the complex earthworks.
The differences in subsurface conditions meant that plans to use pile foundations were abandoned; instead, the apartment hotel was erected on top of a solid slab foundation. Jetcrete was used to secure the construction pit. The demolition and foundation works took up two of the seven months available for construction. The building itself had to be constructed in only five months – not just in “turnkey” condition, but “ready-to-move-in”.
Solid construction with customised designs
As the building needed to look exactly the same as in the visualisations, all the visual details, such as the balustrade, the guttering with an integrated LED strip, and the connecting elements between the stone and timber facade had to be specially designed by PORR.
“Ready-to-move-in” handover
As stipulated in the contract, the project was handed over to the client as a “ready-to-move-in” construction in November 2017. This meant that the client received an apartment hotel that was as good as ready for immediate use. In cooperation with a number of different subcontractors, PORR took care of all the furnishings and moveable objects – including baby monitors, glasses and cutlery.
A total of 28 fully equipped 4-star accommodation units were created, all of them featuring a kitchen, one to three bedrooms and 42m² to 96m² of floor space. All the apartments are equipped with a fireplace, a flat-screen television, Bose Bluetooth loudspeakers, and tablets, which can be used for surfing the Internet, streaming music and regulating the room temperature.
The rooftop sauna and relaxation area features a steam bath, a bio sauna, a Finnish sauna and two spacious relaxation rooms with a fireplace and a view of the Ötztal mountains. A key-card locking system was also installed for both the individual apartments and a number of shared spaces.
These include a ski room with lockable storage boxes, a storage room for sports equipment, changing rooms for guests departing late or early, and laundry facilities for guests. The latter feature a washing machine, a tumble dryer and an iron. Guests can also access the premises, including their apartment, without a key: an app installed on the guest’s smartphone can be used instead of the key card.
Technical data
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Temporary construction pit systemJetcrete
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Type of foundationSlab foundation
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Living area2.200m²
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Formwork13.400m²
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Reinforcing215t
Summary
With the construction of the Valentin apartment hotel in Sölden, PORR has implemented a project that seems conventional enough at first glance. But the very clear budget and time limits set by the client, the limited amount of planning undertaken beforehand and the fact that the project was implemented solely on the basis of visualisations and an on-site inspection
all combined to make the project an exciting challenge. The apartment hotel was ultimately handed over on schedule and opened just a month later, thanks in no small part to the excellent and pragmatic cooperation with the employer.
