Contemporary Leicester Theatre goes Classeq

08 October 2009

The Curve fits out bars with Duo glasswashers for all-round benefits

The Curve in Leicester is like no other theatre. When it opened late in 2008 it was likened to 'a cathedral teleported from the future', 'an ocean liner as dreamed by Salvador Dali', and 'a glass and steel whale, beached in the English Midlands.'

This new 'civic space' for central Leicester brings the auditoriums closer to the exterior, and includes a restaurant, café and five bars that draw people in from the outside and encourages those in the auditorium to mix. The complex's bars can see up to a thousand show-goers and visitors on a busy night, and that means a lot of drinks served and a lot of washed glasses.

Overall design and specification of the bars and restaurants was undertaken by Hepburn Associates, one of the UK's leading catering consultancies, with the installation being carried out by Space Catering Equipment, who specialise in turnkey catering solutions. And when it came to glasswashing, says Hepburn's Kevin Tyson, one name was the obvious answer - Classeq:

"We selected the Classeq Duo glasswasher as by far the best option for the Curve," said Kevin. "What made Classeq machines stand out for us was their balance of desirable features. We know them to be reliable, they are economical to buy, offer good and low energy and water consumption, are easy for inexperienced and temporary staff to operate, and are easy to clean."

It is this balance of features - doing so many things right and including everything from the start - that convinced Kevin Tyson that Classeq Duo was the right warewashing solution for The Curve. However, specifying is one thing, but justifying it is another and with the advanced architecture of The Curve setting a world standard in energy consumption in building design, Kevin Tyson found one more argument for Classeq's place in Leicester's world-class venue. The company is British, with all the glasswashers made in its factory in nearby Staffordshire.

This is not a simple 'buy British' sentiment, it actually makes sense in environmental terms. "For any British site there are lower energy miles in specifying Classeq," he says.

Duo machines are designed and built to be reliable and energy efficient and a best value-for-money option both at purchase and during operation. Classeq offers excellent after-sales service and because the machines are British-built, sourcing spares and routine maintenance items is quick and easy.

Classeq includes virtually everything as standard on the machines, such as a drain pump, WRAS approved break tank, rinse boost pump and integral chemical dosing pumps - features that in most other warewashers are optional extras. A fully insulated double-skinned cabinet ensures that the Duo range is both quiet and cool to the touch while at the same time lowering energy usage.

The full coverage filter system keeps the wash water cleaner for longer, meaning fewer water changes, cleaner plates and lower fuel bills. To give a quick start-up time and further minimise energy requirements the Duo machines have a washtank requiring very little water - as little as 10 litres – while the moulded steel interior wash chamber is easy to clean.

Unusually for such a venue, The Curve relies on polycarbonate glasses in many of its bars. Polycarbonate, often misleadingly called 'plastic', is a clear, sparkling, reusable material that has one especial benefit for the venue - it's very light and shatterproof. With some of the Curve's upstairs bars on balconies overlooking the foyer, the use of polycarbonate glasses ensures greater safety if any drinks should be accidentally dropped over the edge.

But being more prone to scratching, polycarbonates work best with machines adjusted to wash them correctly and ensure they have a longer life. Classeq glasswashers, chemicals and washing programmes are able to wash polycarbonates perfectly, after recent extensive testing and research by parent company Winterhalter in Germany.

The Duo glasswashers are available in two sizes - the compact Duo 2 and the larger-capacity Duo 3. The Duo 2 is only 470mm wide (ideal for undercounter applications where space is tight), and can wash up to 16 typical pint glasses in a two-minute cycle. The larger 570mm wide Duo 3 handles up to 25 pint glasses per cycle.

Overall design and specification of the bars and restaurants was undertaken by Hepburn Associates, one of the UK's leading catering consultancies, with the installation being carried out by Space Catering Equipment, who specialise in turnkey catering solutions.

Classeq is part of the Winterhalter UK group, providing a total solution for warewashing though their nationwide network of distributors, offering everything from pre-sales advice to after-sales service.

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Contemporary Leicester Theatre goes Classeq

08 October 2009

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