Cross Laminated Timber-built hotel suits Army-aligned developer

Sources: Lendlease Americas, New York City; CP staff

Privatization of Army Lodging (PAL) program developer Lendlease Americas staged a ribbon cutting for the Candlewood Suites on Redstone Arsenal, billing the 92-room property near Huntsville, Ala., as the country’s first hotel constructed completely of Cross Laminated Timber (CLT).

The 62,700-sq.-ft. structure incorporates 1,200 CLT wall panels—fabricated from pressed lumber board stacked in alternating directions—and 200,000 CLT fasteners. An 11-man crew erected the building in 10 working weeks. By developer estimates, the labor factor and construction window amount to a 40 percent reduction in crew size and man hours, and 37 percent faster turnaround than conventional framing materials and methods.

“The use of CLT and other integrated methodologies has made it possible to ‘do more with less’ by constructing projects faster, with less labor and safer than conventional materials and methods,” contends Lendlease Americas CEO Denis Hickey. “Lendlease has pioneered the use of this material in Australia and the U.K., and we’re excited to expand our CLT portfolio into the Americas region.”

The Candlewood on Redstone ribbon cutting underscored a partnership with the U.S. Army and IHG Army Hotels, he adds. Lendlease is the property’s owner, design-builder and asset manager, and the exclusive Department of Defense PAL developer. IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) is Candlewood on Redstone operator. Lendlease has delivered 14 Holiday Inn Express and eight Candlewood Suites hotels throughout the U.S.