GK Engineers is designing the full MEP renovation of the Commodore on the Beach, an 89-room hotel on the Galveston Seawall. The owner is replacing the building’s systems while keeping the hotel open, so GK scoped the work as a full replacement and laid out a phasing plan that takes floors out of service one at a time.

The existing chilled water plant is being removed in favor of individual guest room units, taking the central plant maintenance burden off a small property and letting each room be serviced on its own. New domestic hot water, a new electrical service with utility coordination, pool plumbing, and MEP for new suites complete the scope.

On a coastal, salt-air site with an occupied hotel and a fixed budget, GK selected equipment rated for the environment, tied the phasing to the hotel’s booking calendar, and carried fire protection as performance criteria so the owner can bid it competitively.

Image: the existing hotel before renovation.