Winslade Park is a brand new and exciting development based in the heart of the West Country that sensitively celebrates the surrounding area, bringing a selection of premium offices, homes and leisure facilities to its residents. Located near to Exeter’s town centre and with brilliant transport links, it is hailed as the ideal option for businesses looking to relocate to somewhere exquisite. The vibrant new community sits nestled in 35-hectares of parkland with wellness at its heart and event spaces fitted with the latest in business technology.

The Client and The Project

In order to expand the services offered here, the developers, Burrington Estates Ltd, wanted to create a tailored dining experience that celebrates local produce and exceptional food. The appointed award-winning Chef Director, Matt Mason, is widely regarded as being an exceptional force within the catering industry, showcasing locally sourced foods and top quality ingredients with exciting and diverse menus.

Aspen Services were contracted into this project, with the goal of turning the existing basement space into a state-of-the-art commercial kitchen. Capable of facilitating 150 covers per day, the new professional catering design needed to remain sympathetic to the features and structure of the Grade 2 listed building it sits within. The space had to compliment the needs of the Chef and his team while providing a welcoming space that met the needs of every diner who walked through their doors.

The Journey

Being a Grade II listed building, our team were required to take into account a number of restrictions and challenges. This included organising 5-stories of fire-rated ductwork to the roof and ensuring that the entire kitchen and extraction system was fire-rated before sign off. We also needed to take the requirements of the Chef and his team into consideration during design. To do so, we relied heavily on our extensive knowledge and resources within the industry. Richard and the team worked hard to create a space that fit all of the client’s requirements before creating detailed service drawings. We worked closely with highly-skilled mechanical and electrical subcontractors who followed these drawings to the tee, producing the exact space that we had envisioned in the required time frame. In fact, we were able to complete the installation and final connections of all catering equipment and fabrications within 3-working days. This allowed us to deliver the project ahead of Christmas, much to the delight of our client with a nice drop of Christmas cheer to celebrate handover.

The Challenges

The restrictions surrounding Grade 2 Listed Buildings meant that there were many obstacles we needed to overcome. These included ensuring the space was fire-rated and fitted with the appropriate levels of fire-rated ductwork. We also needed to take into account sound reduction methods, due to the presence of offices-to-let on the upper floor. The biggest concern here was the kitchen extraction and ventilation system which would have to run continuously for long periods of time. Our team needed to ensure that the sound attenuation and loft-space lagging was sufficient enough to reduce the ambient noise down to below 56 decibels. To do this, we fitted 5 in-line silencers and a bespoke anti-vibration mounting frame for the fan motor during assembly.