As a consultant to URS Corporation, HOPKINS designed a new 25,000 square foot dining hall to serve up to 3,000 soldiers 22 hours a day. When the budget for this project was slashed, HOPKINS was sent to Djibouti to survey surplus foodservice equipment in storage to identify pieces that could be salvaged to allow the project to proceed through construction.
Renzo Piano’s award-winning tower was fit out by Gensler and includes a major transformation of the Times’ old food service system. A full-service catering kitchen also was designed for the Times Center for in-house use and for commercial caterers.
The Academies sold its historic building to move into the World Trade Center 7, the first building to replace the fallen towers. The finishing kitchen was to support New York Academies events and be used by outside organizations as well, with the idea that the space could be rented as an income generator for the organization. The Academies asked HOPKINS to perform a City-wide RFP search for the ideal caterer. The two-month process involved multiple site visits, tastings and interviews and resulted in finding a fulltime operator, rather than a part time caterer. The chosen operator brought the advantage of being able to market the venue to outside groups as well.
This HDR-designed hospital takes advantage of new technologies in food service equipment design to offer the perks of at-your-service, hotel-style dining to our nation’s military.