A new teaching kitchen providing a unique guest experience in the 5-star Grand Hotel, York
Client
Splendid Hospitality
Location
Rougier St, York
Date Completed
January 2019
Contract Period
12 weeks
Our work with The Grand Hotel began back in 2008 when we were appointed to undertake a major refurbishment of the 1906 Great North Eastern Railway headquarters to create York’s first 5-star hotel. In 2015, we were approached to retrofit Roman House, an adjacent disused 1970s office block to create a significant extension and accommodate an additional 100 guest rooms.
We were delighted to be reappointed again in 2018 to design and deliver this existing new addition to the hotel’s offer. Located in the lower ground floor of the new extension, the cookery school transforms a lost space into a revenue generating asset for the hotel. Facilities include 16 workstations, a demonstration area, a fully equipped back of house kitchen, dining area, and multi-use teaching space. A new outdoor area offers additional break out space away from the kitchen as well as a place to cultivate herbs.
Originally a dark windowless space, the challenge was to design the school to feel as light and airy as possible and to accommodate a wide range of services within limited headroom. Providing level access was also a consideration in making the cookery school fully accessible.
Bi-folding doors and glass panelling are used to create a flexible open-plan space and flowing work environment, with large letterbox windows inserted in the external wall to maximise daylight to the opposite wall. Exposed services and gloss ceilings maximise the perception of height and space.
An acoustic ceiling reduces reverberations, providing a high-quality environment for teaching and learning. Materials and finishes, including timber and decorative tiling, have been chosen to create warm, domestic aesthetic despite this being a hard-working space.
A raised floor was provided for the walkway, dining and teaching spaces and conceals services to the workstations and kitchen. It also provides a step down to the workstations, again increasing the perception of height, whilst allowing for an accessible workstation on the raised level.
As Hotels continue to compete with the Airbnb model, The Cookery School provides a unique and distinctive extension to the Grand’s offer, whether for guests or for visitors to historic York.
Shortlisted in the Design Week Awards 2020 workplace interiors category