Universities and Colleges Experience

PKL is vastly experienced in supplying temporary kitchens and dining facilities to universities and colleges throughout the UK, used for the provision of catering services during kitchen refurbishments, events or during kitchen emergencies.

The following page provides an overview of the types solutions that PKL can provide and outlines some of the additional considerations for undertaking work at universities and colleges.

Difficult Site Location

We have delivered and installed temporary kitchens to a wide number of university sites, and we often encounter a range of unique factors at each.

Whether it’s manoeuvring kitchen units by hand or forklift through archways, protecting listed trees and shrubs on site or moving over or around listed buildings, we are able to work with you to ensure that we can design and deliver a temporary facility that takes into account each unique factor at your location. For each temporary facility that we install, PKL will produce a detailed installation plan, which will only be actioned once it has been agreed and signed off by you.

In addition, our experienced transport and planning team are experts in planning delivery to difficult sites. This is particularly pertinent with prestigious sites, which will often require extensive route planning and marshalling points en route. We will also provide detailed risk assessments and method statements taking into account all factors on site.

Where access is required over listed cobbles or paving we provide trackway to ensure that the surface remains protected underneath. This can also be used over lawned areas, ensuring that we can deliver facilities, while keeping below the English Heritage set parameters allowed for removing a lawn.

Craneage

Often the chosen location for a temporary kitchen will be in or around areas that require craning over listed buildings. On many occasions we have found that the use of a crane is not wanted by the university itself unless it is absolutely necessary.

Where craning is not an option or not wanted, PKL can provide a number of solutions. These include flat pack modular buildings that can be constructed on site, or a marquee kitchen facility.

In addition, our experience in delivering modular kitchen facilities means that you might be surprised at the number of locations that we can supply pre built temporary buildings to, utilising our own transport and logistical facilities and the expertise of our onsite engineers.

Planning

PKL specialise in non-invasive, non-attached weatherproof links to listed buildings, which when removed leave the building unmarked and in the same condition as before the hire started.

Noise and Disruption on Site

We understand that discretion is key to installations at many universities. You will always find our drivers, installation team and engineers appropriately dressed, courteous and conducting themselves in a professional manner at all times.

Where requested, we have provided extra insulation to our plant and coldrooms to reduce the noise emitted from the temporary kitchen and ancillary facilities.

Additionally we can deliver our kitchens at a time that suits you, including during weekends or during holiday periods to minimise any disruption to the academic activities.

Impact of Kitchen on Site

We offer a range of exterior solutions if the look of a temporary facility is an issue. This includes a painted finish to blend in with existing buildings, a bespoke vinyl wrap exterior or a custom built screen to surround the temporary facility.

We can also supply our facilities with Odour Control Units if there are concerns surrounding the extraction emissions from the kitchen, which can minimise cooking smells released from the extraction systems.

Health and safety is a key consideration to every installation that we undertake. Our units are supplied with a fire rating of up to 60 minutes and all of our production kitchens are supplied with fire suppression as standard.

Level of Service

Temporary kitchens that PKL has supplied to university sites are used from first thing in the morning to last thing at night, and we offer a level of service to support this.

Our service and technical support lines are open and staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days per year and our response levels include:

Immediate dispatch of an engineer for emergency health and safety issues, where a site is not trading or where a site is experiencing a major refrigeration failure.

A standard service callout with a response within 24 hours. Usually calls placed before 10.00am will be attended on the same day.

Routine requirement or minor matters which are not hindering the operation of the kitchen will be attended as soon as we have an engineer in the area.