Set on the edge of an inland surfing lagoon, the new Hilton Garden Inn Hotel, Snowdonia expects to welcome thousands of guests every year. Guest safety and security is of paramount importance to ensure a high-quality experience. The 106-bedroom hotel sought door furniture that would meet rigorous fire protection and accessibility standards, and also match the door specification used throughout the chain’s hotels in the UK.
Having worked with main contractor HH Smith & Sons on previous projects, HB Architects was appointed to assist with completing the detail design award under the Design and Build contract.
HB Architects was engaged on the project for its wealth of experience in the hotel sector David Coles, an architect at the practice said the brief was to “ensure technical design complied with the approved planning and contractor proposals, as well as assist with coordination of the various subcontractor packages. It’s been an interesting project; the whole team managed to get the project done during the Covid pandemic, which was a challenge for all especially during the first lockdown.”
HH Smith also appointed MKM Building Supplies who then worked with Pendle Doors to supply the internal doors. No ironmongery schedule had been agreed, so Pendle Doors turned to HOPPE (UK) to provide the door hardware.
“We were delighted to be asked to be part of this prestigious project supplying all the doors for the Hilton Garden Inn Snowdonia,” said Ian Hartley, director at Pendle Doors. “We had a door schedule, but not one for ironmongery so I contacted HOPPE (UK) as I knew I could trust them to draw up a schedule and give us specialist technical support. Ensuring we are supplying compliant door hardware is critical, especially for fire doors, so it’s always good to have an expert on board.”
As a Registered Architectural Ironmonger, Donna Davison, business development manager for HOPPE (UK), knew exactly what was needed for the hotel. Pendle Doors introduced Donna to HB Architects and HH Smith to obtain the specification and establish which products were needed.
Projects like this are very interesting. Even though it is only a small part of the build, architectural ironmongery plays a huge role in the final design"
Donna Davison, HOPPE (UK)
“Projects like this are very interesting. Even though it is only a small part of the build, architectural ironmongery plays a huge role in the final design,” explains Donna. “First and foremost, all hardware must meet accessibility and fire safety requirements but we must balance the practicality of the hardware with achieving the clients vision for the overall look and feel of the building.”
Pendle Doors manufactured all internal veneered, paint-grade and laminate faced doorsets for the project; NFR, FD30, FD60 and FD90, including high acoustic rated bedroom entrance doors.
For aesthetic reasons, the HOPPE (UK) hardware needed to match the access control hardware that had already been chosen for the bedroom doors. HOPPE (UK) supplied the remaining fire door hardware for the bedroom entrance doors including AR8182 hinges, AR1500 door closers, both in stainless steel, and intumescent seals. To help the doors withstand the usage typically associated with this type of building, HOPPE (UK) also specified push and kick plates to protect the doors.
For the other doors throughout the building, Donna recommended
HOPPE (UK)’s grade 316 stainless
steel Marseille door handle set on a circular rose to coordinate with the bedroom door handles. This was agreed by HB Architects and HOPPE (UK) delivered the hardware straight to site for fitting in May 2020.
In May 2021, after several years of planning and a 14-month build, the hotel opened its doors to guests.
