GHK have completed a major project at Gray's Inn to refurbish the commercial catering areas located at basement level below the Great Hall and adjacent roadway.
The driver for the project was a requirement to modernise facilities and increase capacity to meet an expanding banqueting offer as well as providing school lunches in Hall for the new City of London Junior School which opened in refurbished premises at Gray's Inn in September 2022.
The challenge was to provide a modern kitchen environment within the constraints imposed by the grade 1 status of the existing building with low ceiling heights and limited opportunities for additional external grilles to serve enhanced extract and ventilation plant.
The works rationalise the existing layout to provide separation between catering areas, kitchen staff welfare facilities and event staff areas. Catering areas are replanned to provide a logical sequence of spaces. These include significantly increased walk-in cold storage and freezer rooms, Prep and Cold Kitchen areas; Pastry Kitchen, Main Production Kitchen, Hospitality Stills Area, Butler's Pantry, Glass & Crockery washup, Potwash. At ground and first floor levels are a further finishing kitchen and serveries to serve the Hall and Large Pension Room.
All areas were completely stripped out and reconfigured including renewal of all mechanical, electrical and drainage services. Existing gas supplies were stripped out and a new incoming electrical supply and transformer installed to provide for an energy efficient, all-electric kitchen. New kitchen canopies incorporate fire suppression systems.
New drainage to serve the numerous appliances in each space proved particularly time consuming to install when it was discovered that the floor slabs were reinforced concrete up to 1 metre deep.
Current ventilation building regulations require separate room and canopy, supply and extract ductwork resulting in 4 ducts to all kitchen areas which also proved a particular challenge.
