Edinburgh University

To answer the specific needs of some of its postgraduate students Edinburgh University has built the UK’s first Residence Hall, which opened in September 2015. “It’s a concept that’s been trialled elsewhere around the world, particularly in America and Australia, with great success,” says assistant catering director, Ian Macaulay. “It’s working well here, too – so much so that we are getting a lot of visits from other universities.” Which is a real feather in the cap of all involved, since, as with any new idea, getting it agreed was far from plain sailing!

Essentially the Residence Hall still features individual rooms, with common rooms on each floor, but the main kitchen and social element are centralised. Edinburgh University’s Residence Hall is on Holyrood North; its kitchen/social complex is open plan and divided into eight areas, each with a cross-shaped prep counter and a mix of seating and eating stations.

Williams supplied specially designed fridges and freezers with storage compartments for individual students. “The refrigeration is critical to the success of the project,” says Ian.

Each kitchen has its own ovens, microwaves, sinks, hobs and so on. For storage, each student has their own dry store plus chilled and freezer space. “We started looking for a refrigeration solution back at Hotelympia 2012, where we talked to several manufacturers, including Williams. What we needed was an upright cabinet that could be compartmentalised for each student.