Old building now a hotel after revamp

Owner and developer of the building, Johan Rosslee decided to revamp the building into a hotel in an attempt to make the building more commercially viable. Due to the fact that the building presented a problem with the issue of loading, Pretoria based architect John Deppe was set the challenge of sourcing alternative building materials that incorporated walling systems that are lightweight and are able to optimise space with specific acoustic properties.

Deppe considered the options available and made the decision to specify Gyproc GypWall Soundbloc 70AS/F60S57, a lightweight construction system that limits the transmission of sounds as loud as 57dB with a nominal wall thickness of 122mm. The SoundBloc system incorporates a specifically manufactured lightweight steel stud and track structure, and glass wool insulation made from up to 80% recycled glass. The major contributing factor to the selection of this system was the fact that due to its specifications it allowed for the addition of four extra rooms per floor.

Low running costs

"All materials that have been used in the development of the hotel were selected for their long term business benefits. While the bottom line costs have been carefully monitored, and actual development costs are a little higher than anticipated, the fact is that in ten years' time the running costs of the building will be lower given the energy efficient product choices we made," explains Rosslee.

The hotel, which was recently completed, has 45 rooms and is a Inn Green Hotel, which is specified to use minimal electricity. To this end, Gyproc RhinoBoard was used on the inside perimeter of the building to better regulate the interior temperatures. "In addition, we have installed a sun water system that uses no energy and solar panels to generate energy. Even the televisions run on no more than 40 watts of power," adds Rosslee.