Carlton Tower Hotel

A £13 million refurbishment with a bespoke glazed roof over a swimming pool and roof-top winter garden.

This 224 bedroom hotel was built in the early 1960s in the mid-Atlantic style. As well as being in need of refurbishment, the provision of new facilities was essential due to the changing nature of hotel business, in particular the growing emphasis on leisure, and a dramatic increase in conference trade. Direct access from street level was needed to the restaurant, the new swimming pool, and the Peak Health Club. These occupy a 1970s extension on the roof and access was achieved by installing a superb glazed lift with panoramic views, scaling the front of the building.

The 20 metre long stainless steel pool is one of the largest to be found in the UK. The advantages of using the stainless steel system are its light weight and the fact that it is totally waterproof (particularly important for building on top of an existing structure). A Planar glazed roof arches over the rooftop winter garden and pool. Automatic roof blinds offer protection from the sun, at night they are drawn back and the lights at the bottom of the pool appear to continue the curve of the roof, making for spectacular views of the pool from the health club above.

As well as the lift, pool and winter garden, the client required an enlarged ballroom and a new basement car park below the hotel service yard. Careful design and sequencing of the works was essential as all work had to take place while keeping the hotel open with minimal disturbance to guests, to the extent that internal scaffolding had to be screened and decorated to the same standard as the existing hotel décor.