Sand Pearl Resort Addition and Renovations/Clearwater, Florida

Architects
Adache Group Architects/Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Developer
JMC Communities/St. Petersburg,Florida

Size
250,000 sf

Cost
$60 million

TLC Services
M/E


The first new resort hotel on Clearwater Beach in 25 years features 258 rooms, a world-class spa, fine dining, state-of-the-art meeting rooms and ballroom, and more than 11,000-sf of retail space. Accommodations are sophisticated yet comfortably casual. Elegantly furnished guest rooms have high ceilings and balconies for an open, airy feel. The top two floors house one- and two-bedroom suites that will be sold to owners for their personal use for a predetermined number of weeks per year. Sitting atop an elevated deck, the oversize oceanfront pool provides a magnificent view of the Gulf of Mexico and serves as the focal point of the resort.In keeping with the developer’s wishes to make the hotel environmentally friendly, the mechanical and electrical design incorporates energy-efficient systems and equipment. Flexible air-conditioning and ventilation systems serve the different types of spaces including the lobby, kitchen and dining areas, retail areas and living spaces. The building management system employs a distributed network and direct digital controls system. The hotel is fully protected by sprinklers and is served by both wet pipe and pre-action sprinkler systems. TLC engineers worked closely with the hotel’s spa consultant to ensure that the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems suit the spa’s specialized ventilation requirements and other needs.Throughout the hotel, energy-efficient lighting is customized to suit the varied spaces and is managed by a computerized lighting control system. Backup power for life safety systems is provided by a 500-kw generator.The building is designed to meet U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental (LEED®) standards and would be the first hotel in Florida to be LEED certified.