Creating a new kitchen in a live school environment
We created a brand-new kitchen at Hadlow Rural Community School, a project that saw the team deliver structural works to create a kitchen space fully equipped with catering and plant machinery within a live school environment in just four months.
A first for the community school, the new kitchen means that Hadlow Rural Community School can now prepare all meals on site having previously relied on the next-door college to supply meals for the school’s 420 students.
As well as a new kitchen this £1.5m project included the creation of a temporary kitchen cabin and compound so food could be delivered during the project. Enabling work included working with UK Power Networks to upgrade the utility supply for the new kitchen.
With a need to optimise space, the new kitchen install required meticulous design to ensure all equipment was able to fit within the small kitchen area. This included the removal of existing walls and blocking up external doors, new flooring and ceilings to make the space ready for the kitchen installation.
Reducing waste and reusing materials
With sustainability front of mind, a range of efficiency measures were taken, including LED lighting, new air filters, and a control system for the canopy extractor fans to ensure efficient operation. Waste materials from the project were all retained and will be recycled back into the school building, including doors, ceiling tiles, cupboards and lighting. The servery counters were also re-used.
Engaging and inspiring young people
As part of the project, we were very proud to host assemblies for the students. Our team talked about the work being undertaken, and shared their own personal career journeys to help educate and inspire more young people to choose a career in construction.
Taking questions from students, the team spoke about diversity in our industry, helping to break down barriers and show the young people that there are no limits in construction and the industry welcomes all people regardless of gender, race or social-economic background.
Ensuring safe working in a live education setting
Located next to the dining hall and playground, and with classrooms at either side and above, the kitchen installation took place in a live education setting meaning daily liaison with the school was integral to keeping staff and students safe. Site logistics were managed meticulously with deliveries taken through the playground at designated times and the team also worked to keep noise to a minimum, reducing noisy site activity during exam periods. The team made good use of the school holidays, ramping up more disruptive site activity such as external works and crane lifts while the school was vacant to ensure completion was achieved on time. Our management of the project subsequently secured a 10/10 Net Promoter Score (NPS).
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