First All-CLT Hotel in Country Celebrates Grand Opening

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Lendlease recently celebrated the grand opening of the new Candlewood Suites on Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama, the first hotel in the country to be completely constructed using cross-laminated timber to meet the highly restrictive military Anti-Terrorism and Force Protection requirements.

Made of several layers of pressed lumber board stacked in alternating directions, CLT offers builders maximized strength and durability with added sustainability and conservation benefits. CLT is Forest Stewardship Council certified, and is projected to achieve a 31 percent energy savings when compared to typical hotel buildings of the same size for the same climate.

The 62,688-square-foot structure includes 92 guest rooms, and utilized 1,200 CLT wall panels and 200,000 CLT fasteners. It took the 11-man Lendlease crew 10 working weeks to erect the building, which is a 40 percent reduction in crew size and man hours, and 37 percent faster than conventional framing materials and methods.

Part of the Privatization of Army Lodging program, Lendlease is the owner, developer, Design-Builder and asset manager for the Candlewood Suites on Redstone Arsenal, and the exclusive developer for the Department of Defense’s only lodging privatization program. InterContinental Hotels Group is the hotel operator.

Leidos Engineering was the architect.

Project achievements:

• LEED Silver compliant design
• 31 percent energy savings over similar facilities
• FSC certified materials
• Onsite workers processed 223.61 tons of debris, diverting 79 percent of waste away from landfills
• First in PAL program to utilize variable refrigerant flow systems for heating and cooling, offering significant operational and energy efficiency over conventional units
• First in PAL portfolio to utilize prefabricated bathroom pods, accelerating the construction schedule, reducing onsite waste and increasing overall quality of workmanship

Photo courtesy of Lendlease.