Renovation of the Victorian building of the Hotel Del Coronado
Calif.
BEST PROJECT
Presented by Swinnerton
owner BRE Hotels & Resorts
Leading design company GSB Architects
General Contractor Swinerton Builders
Civil Engineer Hale Engineering & Surveying Inc.
Structural Engineer KPFF Consulting Engineers
MEP engineer EXP
Historic Architect Architecture and heritage planning
Landscape architect Burton Studio Inc.
An extensive, multi-phased $128 million renovation has updated rooms, balconies, hallways and support spaces at this historic Coronado hotel. Historic architectural details were carefully preserved while crews made sweeping improvements. The complexity of the project required extensive pre-construction planning. More than 5,000 man-hours were spent on early coordination, constructability reviews and value engineering to identify risks and sequence work efficiently.
The scope of work included improvements to the exterior facade and surrounds, such as repairing existing windows to maintain their historic significance, replacing railings, and painting windows and doors. Crews replaced the MEP, fire protection and low voltage systems and added a new exit staircase to the southeast wing. Historic windows and architectural details were meticulously restored and new finishes were selected to match the original materials.
Despite numerous structural challenges, the project increased the number of rooms to 404 from 367 by creatively reconfiguring the layout of rooms and bathrooms, maximizing usable space and guest comfort without compromising structural integrity.
Photo by David Marshall/Heritage Architecture & Planning
Preserving the historic character of the 137-year-old building and maintaining operations as an active hotel throughout construction required detailed phasing and logistics plans, which were updated in real time to address unforeseen structural and infrastructure obstacles. Working closely with hotel management, the contractor minimized disruption to guests by scheduling noisy work during periods of low occupancy and establishing safe alternate routes.
Preserving the historic integrity of the Victorian wing was paramount. The team collaborated with preservation consultants and local authorities, using mock-ups and sample reviews to ensure the new materials matched the original finishes.
Given the historic nature of the hotel, a largely wooden structure built in 1888, the contractor implemented a more robust fire prevention plan. Fire watch coverage was increased from the standard 30 minutes to a 2 hour requirement during and after hot work operations.
