Travelodge recently opened a hotel in Uxbridge, England that is constructed entirely from prefabricated shipping containers. The completed design uses eighty-six containers of various sizes that were retrofitted into bedrooms and bolted together onsite. The exterior has been clad and fitted with windows, thus converting the assemblage into a seamless 120-bedroom hotel. Verbus Systems estimates that the structure’s prefab composition saved the hotel chain more than half a million pounds and at least 10 weeks of construction.
Verbus Systems claims that the hotel’s modular construction makes its construction 40-60% quicker than traditional building methods, plus it doesn’t require complicated construction processes or specialized labor, which helps to reduce cost. They also quote a 70% reduction in on-site waste. The interiors are indistinguishable from other Travelodge hotels, and after construction, the exterior betrays nothing.
Travelodge plans to follow up with a 307-room version at Heathrow. They expect to save up to 10 million pounds (18.6 million dollars) a year on hotel development by using this new method.
So, is that just wasted space in those angled corners? or are they cutting the containers apart for the areas adjacent to the corners?
Seems to me that designing a building with non-90 degree angles when you’re using prefab modules that are rectangular in shape is counter-intuitive.