The main lobby. Photos by Randall Corcoran

Modular construction reached a new high when the 159-room Quinault Beach Resort was built on the shores of the Pacific Ocean. The project is reportedly the largest commercial hotel in the Pacific Northwest using modular construction.

Contractor BFC Frontier chose modular to keep the project on schedule, maintain quality and meet the construction budget. The resort’s 159 guest rooms were built up to 95 percent complete under controlled factory conditions in the dead of winter.

Craned into place and essentially double-walled after placement, the units provide superior sound abatement. Single rooms are 14-by-33 feet and double rooms are 14-by-67 feet, including a corridor. The units above all public areas are steel-framed, as dictated by fire codes, and the remainder are wood-framed.

All of the rooms include 10-foot ceilings, gas fireplaces with custom mantels, tiled bathrooms, berber carpets, double vanities in solid surface countertops, two telephones and data ports for high-speed Internet access. Only the wall coverings were added on-site.

In addition to guest rooms, the resort offers flexible convention space, a full-service restaurant and lounge with an oversized kitchen, casual dining, a spa with pool and a gift shop. BFC built the first story of the resort concurrent with factory production of the modules.

The Quinalt Beach Resort features native plants and rockery in its landscaping.

The casino portion of the facility is a steel structure placed on-site and seamlessly integrated with the interior and exterior details of the hotel. Substantial design time was given to creating a Northwest atmosphere for the architecture and landscaping, not a Las Vegas-style casino with a hotel attached.

Exterior details contribute to the coastal ambiance with shale wainscot, cedar siding and a deep green metal roof.

Native plants and rockery keep the landscape simple. A contemplative pond with two fountains is rimmed with distinctive perimeter railings and walkways in front of the east entrance, providing a place to stroll when the tide is in.

Extensive site development included substantial improvements to the adjacent road and retaining walls, the creation of a water treatment facility, new wells, a 600,000-gallon reservoir tank for fire protection and potable water, and installing 3.5 miles of force main sanitary sewer line. BFC employed Quinault members for 95 percent of its field labor.

By using modular construction, BFC shaved two months off the schedule and $500,000 under the estimate for building the units on-site.