Prefabricated Curtain Wall Used for Downtown Hotel
Downtown Austin, Texas has a new hotel in its lively 6th Street Entertainment District. In actuality it is two authentic and distinct hotel brands, Aloft & Element, combined in one 33-story tower and configured to offer two contrasting experiences for its guests. Such an exceptional hotel plan called for a unique look, and this became one of the reasons the owner, White Lodging, chose the pre-fab StoPanel Classic continuous insulation system combined with Dri-Design metal panels for the exterior walls. The other reason: prefabrication turned out to be the only time efficient and cost-effective way to get the project done.
The Aloft & Element wasn’t designed originally with offsite construction in mind. But as the team of DPR Construction and HKS Architects discussed options, the more they realized pre-fabrication might make sense. Winter was approaching; there was very little clearance for a work area at the location, and there were concerns about debris and trash that would likely accumulate at the cramped job site. When the StoPanel Technology affiliate in Dallas, Baker Triangle Prefab, proposed a practical panelization solution as the solution, it was immediately adopted as the plan.