Newhaven Fort

Client
Wave Leisure

Duration
12 weeks

The Brief

• The client for this project was Wave Leisure, who run a series of leisure centres in the South-East of England, and now manage Newhaven Fort, a popular museum and tourist attraction situated inside a 19th-century defensive fort.
• Our project was to completely refurbish the café and kitchen area of Newhaven Fort with a new World War Two-inspired design.
• Over the course of the project, we realised that the existing electrical supply was not sufficient, so the brief then expanded to include upgrading the electrical supply.

Our Solution

• We removed all fixtures and fittings from the existing café and kitchen areas.
• We also removed all existing flooring, as well as mechanical and electrical services to the café and kitchen.
• We removed a small cupboard in the corner, then formed a new larger storage cupboard.
• We formed a floating MF ceiling with recessed lighting in the servery area, and widened the existing doorway into the kitchen.
• We installed a new kitchen with new mechanical and electrical supplies to create a more practical and usable space for the team.
• The new servery counter was installed using tailor-made joinery.
• The new counter areas had new catering equipment installed for the production of fresh food, including a state-of-the-art coffee machine.
• We installed new background lighting to highlight the menu board, as well as LED strip lighting to enhance the new layout.
• We laid striking new vinyl flooring in the café area which complemented the new layout and WW2-era design of the café.
• Hawes Construction Group used our own team for the strip out, carpentry, and plastering, and employed subcontractors for the mechanical works, electrical works, joinery, cladding and signage.

The Result

• Hawes Construction Group produced a fully refurbished kitchen and café area which was sympathetic to the WW2-era design while also retaining a modern twist.
• The project ran very smoothly, and we were able to adapt to the changing requirements of the project by upgrading the electrical supply.
• The new café and servery area was much brighter, cosier and more welcoming than previously, giving staff a much-improved working environment, and providing customers with a lovely space in which to spend time and have a coffee and some cake.
• Since the fort closed to the general public for the duration of the project, we worked efficiently to be able to complete the works in the allotted timescale, finishing in time for the fort to reopen for half term week.
• The clients were thrilled with the result, and during the first week after reopening, the fort had unprecedented quantities of new visitors.