Two empty office buildings in Leicester have been converted into a new £1.8 million boutique hotel.

Located in Peacock Lane/New Street, St Martins Lodge is a 28-bed hotel with overlooking cathedral gardens, original fireplaces and character windows.

It was built adjacent to the historic site where King Richard III's remains were discovered.

Building Services Design (BSD) retained many of the original features of the Grade II* listed Georgian buildings, while also designing the building services around the structure of the existing building.

Joel Sawyer, director at BSD, the lead designer on the project, said: "We're delighted to be involved in a project that has created modern, elegant accommodation while at the same time, honouring the heritage of the important site and its surroundings.

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"We provided a design that is a mix of traditional and modern installation, meaning some of the building services run through the floors and into the ceiling. To meet listed status building regulations, air conditioning equipment has also been moved to the roof where it is out of sight.

"In order to make the spatial challenges work, we held regular on-site visits in order to overcome and catch any potential problems before they happened."

He added: "To ensure the heating system would fit within the confinements of the basement, it has been designed as a modular system for better efficiency and ease of installation.

"The domestic water and hot water systems have also been centralised in the basement and we have made provisions within the design to allow for a possible connection to the Leicester District Energy Scheme, which supplies low-cost, low-carbon energy to major buildings across the city. The future advantages of this will mean energy efficiency and lower running costs."

The hotel was first opened in October 2018 and offers a 24-hour conference rate alongside function run hire and catering facilities.

(CM/MH)