Corinthia Hotel St George’s Bay hosted a presentation on ‘Developing a Grand Hotel for the 21st Century - the Corinthia Hotel London’, organised by the Maltese chamber of architects and civil engineers as part of its Architecture Nights programme. The event, held last week, brought together local professionals and the international team that built Corinthia Hotel London.

The newly opened Corinthia Hotel London is not merely a luxurious hotel in the middle of historic Westminster. Sited on a triangular site on the corner of Northumberland Avenue, a short walk from Whitehall and Trafalgar Square, it is also a remarkable architectural and civil engineering achievement. Built on the site of the Metropole Hotel, once frequented by King Edward VII, and the adjoining 10 Whitehall Place, the project required innovative design to overcome problems associated with pre-developed city sites. During the construction, novel engineering and architectural solutions were developed and employed to meet the unique design specification.

The evening’s opening address was delivered by Chamber President Mr Vincent Cassar, who gave a brief outline of the workings of the chamber and the various activities that it organises on behalf of its members. He went on to introduce the first speaker for the evening, Mr Simon Naudi, chief executive officer of Corinthia Hotels’ business operations and an executive director on the main board of IHI, the owner, developer and operator of Corinthia Hotels.

Being responsible for business development, real estate acquisitions and developments, Simon has been involved in the London hotel project since day one. He gave a detailed insight on the tendering process and negotiations that led to the acquisition of the London property from the Crown Estate and a step-by-step account on the development of the project, from planning stage, leading to opening day.

The second speaker was Chris Edwards, director, QPM (UK) limited, who dealt with matters relating to construction phasing and sections, assignment of contracts, works programmes, project risks and mitigation, problem solving and project highlights.

Chris was followed by Ian Flewitt, partner, Price & Myers, who gave details of the original building, the challenging ground conditions encountered, construction of the courtyard structure and key techniques used to enhance space.

Finally, Edward Davies, an associate of GA Design International, used a selection of original photographs, concept work, sketches, visuals and finished photographs to illustrate the interior architecture and design of the hotel.

The event came to a close with time being allotted for questions by the audience.