The Drury Plaza Hotel located in the Disney Springs Area in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, is the company’s largest hotel to date. This $100 million project is the first ICF building on Disney property, but it is just one of more than 30 hotels across the U.S. built with ICF for Drury Development Corp. This project, winner of both the MultiFamily 2nd Runner Up and the People’s Choice ICF Builder Awards, used 204,468 square feet of Amvic ICFs, manufactured by Alleguard, across three floors providing 602 rooms and more than 17,000 square feet of event space.

A 15-story tower was added alongside an existing building. There were some challenges with structural beams when carrying ICF across vast openings, says Laura Catalan, marketing director for Alleguard. “The building department was very involved regarding inspecting rebar, quality control, and processes to ensure safety and structural integrity,” she remarks. “We spent a lot of time coordinating with the inspectors on the process of using ICF as a construction building material.”

The obvious advantages for a hotel are STC-rated sound attenuation and thermal R-value. “These allow a comfortable and quiet stay for occupants, which we appreciate,” Catalan says.

In addition to a timeline that was impacted by Covid-19, during the last six weeks of construction two hurricanes occurred, but there were no complications or damage to any of the ICFs or building envelope. The owner and contractor, St. Louis, Missouri’s Druco Development Co. Inc., created their own system for bracing and also established their own buck system that allows for improved quality control. Thermal imaging was used to spot any potential voids in the concrete. The façade of the tower is EIFS while the center core is metal panels that provide a reflective finish and enhanced curb appeal. This is the first ICF building/hotel on Disney property. There are also three additional Drury properties in the state of Florida all built using ICF and another close to completion. Overall, Drury Development has built more than 30 hotels using ICF across the United States.