Work has started on a 220 room hotel in Manchester that will be constructed from purpose-built steel shipping containers.

Architects Chapman Taylor have designed the Holiday Inn, which is located within the Trafford City development, by pioneering “a completely new approach to the design process.”

A fully co-ordinated BIM model was developed to create the building’s separate modules, which are being installed with interior fixtures and fittings off-site.

When finished, the modules will be taken to the construction site and individually stacked on top of a podium structure.

All 220 guest rooms will be installed within a 2-4 week period, after which the hotel’s external envelope will be applied using a prefinished rainscreen cladding and single ply roofing system. The architects hope the project will be fully completed in less than 12 months.

“We are pleased to continue to expand our expertise in off-site design and construction methods,” said studio director Andrew Carroll. “These procedures offer exciting new building solutions for the future.”

The project is being overseen by a joint venture between developers Mill Lane Estates, Topland Group and Marick.

Shipping containers, which are known for their strength and affordability, are an increasingly popular building tool for architects. They have been used or proposed to build houses, music venues, microbreweries, pop-up gyms and even spas.