Snoozebox Portable Hotel at Silverstone Circuit
The Assignment
Silverstone is one of the world’s most famous motorsport venues and home of the F1 British Grand Prix which each year attracts over 300,000 visitors to the circuit.
Situated in the Northamptonshire countryside, motor racing fans have always faced a challenge to find hotel accommodation close to the track. The British Racing Drivers’ Club, owners of Silverstone, came up with an innovative solution to combat the shortage of hotel space by introducing the ‘Snoozebox’ – a transportable, temporary hotel that can be delivered to an event and be fully operational within 48 hours.
The concept involved rooms arriving on trucks and housed in shipping containers, which are then craned into place. The cleverly designed contemporary rooms had an en-suite wet room, double bed, climate control, power sockets, flat screen TV, free WiFi and were serviced daily with towels and toiletries.
When Silverstone managed to secure a two-year planning permit for the portable hotel, Snoozebox sought to enhance its offering with a suitable semi-permanent structure to form a reception, catering and social area.
The Solution
Neptunus was appointed to design a temporary building to provide more space and facilities for guests. The solution came in the shape of Neptunus’ state-of-the-art Evolution technology. Technicians took just four weeks to build a two-storey Evolution structure alongside the portable hotel rooms. With a partial mezzanine, The Evolution created a meet and greet and café area exclusive to hotel guests with an exterior terrace providing views of all the exciting action on the track.
The Evolution was an ideal solution for Snoozebox’s temporary hotel as it contained features that are normally associated with a permanent building. Equipped with insulated rigid wall panels, integrated rainwater guttering system and a glulam wooden floor, the structure combined a quality feel with excellent insulation properties and enhanced sustainability credentials. All the materials used in the installation were recycled from past projects – and, after the two-year hire period, the temporary structure was dismantled and returned to hire stock for future use.
The Challenge
Once the planning permission had been granted, Snoozebox and Silverstone required a temporary building to be erected as quickly as possible to meet the demands of the hectic year-round racing programme including the circuit’s most high-profile race, the F1 British Grand Prix.
While providing a spacious environment for guests in the three-star temporary hotel, Snoozebox also wanted a building that connected to the buzz and excitement of the circuit. Neptunus’ design team incorpoated glazed panels allowing superb views across the race track.
The Verdict
Snoozebox chose Neptunus because it was impressed with its products, service and ability to provide a quick turnaround.
Gary Thomson, Chief Operating Officer, Snoozebox, said: “The reception and catering facility has helped to build a complete experience and we are delighted to be working with Neptunus. Neptunus delivered a quality structure quickly and efficiently, providing our guests with a first class facility. We very much look forward to taking our partnership with Neptunus forward in the future.”
