The brief

Aliva UK was tasked with supplying an elegant stone façade for a new flagship hotel on Blackpool Promenade, overlooked by the town’s iconic Pleasure Beach amusement park. The five-storey Boulevard Hotel offers 120 stylish rooms and suites alongside conference and banqueting facilities for up to 200 people, a 90-seat restaurant called The Beachside and an on-site gymnasium.

What we did

Challenged to replicate and enhance the local vernacular of Blackpool’s historic seafront, Aliva identified a stone cladding system that would exceed the striking visual impact demanded by the client, without the time and cost implications of installing a traditional stone exterior. Aliva’s eco-friendly Scaglia Carsica stone panels were the natural choice for Blackpool’s Boulevard Hotel, where its elegant appearance and lightweight quality made it viable for both exterior and interior application. Available in a range of colours, Natural Anthracite was chosen to best complement the dark blue and white external elements at Boulevard Hotel, while also reflecting external materials used on nearby buildings in Blackpool. The installation programme was planned meticulously to minimise any potential disruption to the nearby Pleasure Beach or its customers, therefore a cladding system that could be applied quickly was required. Despite early challenges encountered with the system’s supporting structure, efficient working ensured the installation project was delivered on time and on budget for the client, with all building regulations and target U-values met.

What makes it special

Boulevard Hotel’s exposed location on Blackpool seafront called for an extremely durable cladding system, capable of withstanding the worst of the British weather. Aliva’s Scaglia Carsica stone panels were applied directly to the building’s envelope using weatherproof Modular BIG Adhesive. The adhesive is applied in a two-stage process using resin-based mixing agents, to allow for an open joint system – without affecting overall weathering and performance.