Case study · Hospitality
Casa María Boutique Hotel, San Carlos: 88,000 sq ft (8,177 m²) and 532 metric tons of steel
In 2020 SQ Tech redesigned the foundation and the steel structure of the Casa María Boutique Hotel in San Carlos, Nuevo Guaymas, Sonora; it fabricated the structure in its shop, erected it and installed steel deck with Nelson studs on the floors. The building has four levels, 88,000 sq ft (8,177 m²) and 532 metric tons of steel.
Challenge
The project did not start from scratch: there was an earlier foundation scheme, and the new structure had to be solved on top of it. Redesigning over an existing proposal means reviewing what was laid out first, then defining sections, connections and supports.
The hotel program (suites and rooms, a restaurant, a rooftop bar overlooking the Sea of Cortez, a spa and a wedding and event hall) calls for open spans for corridors, common areas and halls. And the lot, in a coastal tourist area, limits how materials and equipment reach the site.
Solution
SQ Tech redesigned the foundation and the structure, fabricated the steel in its shop and erected it on site. The floors are concrete slabs on steel deck with arc stud-welded Nelson studs, a system that gives wide open spans compatible with the hotel layout. The erection photo shows the steel frames, the X bracing and the steel deck of the floors.
The building uses 65.1 kg of steel per m² (13.3 lb/sq ft), much more than a single-story industrial building, as expected of a four-level structure with floors.
Why steel for a four-level hotel
A four-level hotel can be built in concrete or in steel. Steel weighs less than an equivalent concrete frame, which lightens the foundation; the structure is fabricated in the shop while the civil work advances on site; the bays between columns leave freedom to arrange rooms, corridors and halls, and make it easier to change the layout in a renovation. On site it creates less debris and noise than pouring concrete frames floor by floor, which matters in a tourist area.
Structural system
- Four-level steel structure
- X-braced frames
- Steel-deck floors with arc stud-welded Nelson studs
- Foundation redesigned over an earlier scheme
Gallery
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