John Sisk & Son Ltd (Sisk) has been awarded a £43m Hilton hotel project serving travellers for Terminal 5 at London's Heathrow Airport.

Strategically located to cater for Heathrow and close to the airport's newest terminal, the contract is the latest in a line of recent hotel wins for contractor Sisk. Construction started at the end of May, for a total 80 weeks' contract.

Features of the new-build hotel include 350 bedrooms, conference facilities, gym and a swimming pool. It is located half a mile from M25 Junction 14 and Heathrow's Terminal 5.

Sisk was chosen based on its experience in hotel construction and its re-engineering of the planned structural solution. It presented modified plans to the developer, which offered a better solution to the environmental challenges of the site and the engineering of the hotel itself.

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The proximity of the Poyle Channel, which runs through the middle of the site, the flood plain and a water table at ground level required detailed consultation with the Environment Agency. Solutions including permeable block paving and site de-watering have been included in the plans. The nearby airport will also have implications on the construction, including restriction to the height of cranes used and the need to include highly effective acoustic engineering.

Les Nicholls, Director Western Region, Sisk commented: "We have constructed a number of Hilton hotels previously, so we knew the level of detail expected. With our experience as engineers and hotel builders, the design was adapted to suit the challenges the site presented in order to produce a cost-effective, high quality end product. We are delighted to win such a prestigious contract in the current, difficult economic climate, which will strengthen our new regional office in Reading."

(CD/JM)