Thomann-Hanry – putting your best façade forward

Thomann-Hanry conducted the façade survey for the Category B listed hotel, The Balmoral in Edinburgh, a property that has been an icon of the Edinburgh skyline since it opened its doors to paying customers back in 1902. Located in the heart of the city, it has cemented its position as one of the great hotels of Scotland. The building design was due to an open competition in 1895 by the North British Railway Company for a new railway hotel adjacent to the newly rebuilt Waverley Station.

The 167-room hotel was tied to the railways from the start, through 1948 and the nationalisation of the railways, and it wasn’t until railway privatisation in 1983 when the hotel was taken into private ownership. The hotel closed for major refurbishment work in 1988 and was formally re-opened in June 1991 by Sir Sean Connery. In 1997 the hotel was sold to the current owners – Rocco Forte Hotels.

Image credit: Thomann-Hanry

Thomann-Hanry was instructed to complete a fully detailed façade survey to check on the integrity of the masonry, external woodwork and general condition of the façade. This would allow the hotels management team a detailed understanding of all the key points of concern which would need to be rectified during the next round of maintenance and help support the long-term conservation of this historic building.

The Balmoral is situated with main roads on two sides, a steep staircase leading to Waverley Station on one side, and, to the rear, the main glass and steel canopy of the busy mainline station. This means traditional scaffolding would have been both time consuming and expensive to construct. Through using a mixture of MEWP (Mobile Elevating Work Platforms) and drone, Thomann-Hanry was able to get up close to the façade, inspect, and record any issues or areas of concern.

Image credit: Thomann-Hanry

This approach also allows for more regular site inspections to take place to monitor potential issues long before they become significant structural problems. Regular inspections are key to maintenance planning and allows building owners an overview of important repair or replacement issues during the project management and planning process.

The two elevations at greatest risk of requiring remedial work are those which border the two busy roads. The use of MEWPs allowed for the removal of any loose or at-risk masonry/render which could have posed a potential threat to the public below. This is something which would not have been possible if only using drones and/or binoculars as the method for conducting the survey.

The prominent clock tower, at almost 58 meters high, is a core area which needed investigation, as the exposed nature of the structure meant high winds and heavy rain could have caused items to work loose and cause potential damage and injury to the members of the public below.

Most of the survey was carried out at night, this allowed the hotel and its guests to go about their day-to-day business without the inconvenience of closed footpaths and reduced access. After eight days (and nights) the comprehensive survey was completed, and the management team was presented with a detailed façade report highlighting the key areas of concern and the priority list of repairs and remediations which would be needed during the next scheduled maintenance programme.

“We understand the need to ensure historic and culturally significant properties such as The Balmoral are maintained in a way that not only extends the material life of the façade but also highlights the potential issues which could be of concern. The team at Thomann-Hanry will ensure the custodians of the building have all the information required to keep the façade in the best condition possible.” commented Mark Styles, Managing Director of Thomann-Hanry.

Thomann-Hanry is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.

Main image credit: Thomann-Hanry