UK: Developer Aimrok Holdings has released a drone fly-through of its aparthotel project The Gresham in Leicester.
The £17 million renovation of the Grade II listed Victorian building, formerly the Fenwicks department store, is due to open in early Autumn as a 121-room aparthotel with four premium commercial units and 12,000 square feet of office accommodation and meeting space.
Although renovations started in January 2020 just as the pandemic hit, the building is still on track to open in early Autumn.
The drone footage shows viewers the entire building from the basement, via a show unit to the roof.
Snizhana Yesaulenko, director at Aimrok Holdings and managing director of principal contractor, Cube Construction said: “The Gresham has been one of the most exciting – yet demanding developments in Aimrok’s long history of property development. It is a landmark Victorian building – and a significant part of Leicester’s heritage that is being cited as a catalyst for regeneration of the area – so there is a lot of local interest in its progression.”
“With the scaffolding almost completely dropped now, restoration of the outside is clear for all to see, but the internal picture is more difficult to show, particularly with it being a live site. So this fly-through is a brilliant way of sharing how well the development is progressing on the inside. The Gresham is a complex old building that has not been without its challenges. There was a considerable amount of structural strengthening to do to make sure it met current building control requirements and this took some five months.”
“Originally when it was built in the 1880s, it was designed as seven separate buildings that have been joined together over the years. So, levelling the floors has been an incredibly complicated process particularly when, due to changes over time, there were fireplaces and doors halfway up the walls! Added to this come the restrictions of renovating a Grade II listed building. It has certainly been an interesting project but I am pleased to say – as everyone will see in the fly-through – we now have six, beautifully levelled floors and a good strong building that will be there for many years to come,” she added.
Click here to see the drone footage.
