Sodexo Prestige in London has announced that it has been awarded a contract to provide public, workplace and event catering for Siemens at the newly constructed Crystal building: the new landmark centre for urban sustainability opening in London’s Royal Victoria Docks on Saturday 29 September 2012.
Driving sustainable urban innovation
The Crystal is located on the waterfront at the western end of the Royal Victoria Docks in East London – the heart of London’s Enterprise District. A multi-million pound investment, the Crystal will act as a global think tank where engineers and city experts will collaborate on projects that drive sustainable urban innovation, and in which technology can be used to create a better future for our cities.
Designed by award-winning Wilkinson Eyre Architects, the Crystal’s iconic, glass-clad shape was inspired by the multiple, angular sides of a crystal. The building has been developed to be one of the most sustainable in the world and is aiming to achieve top LEED and BREEAM scores – the most stringent standards for sustainable design and construction. An all-electric building, the Crystal uses solar power and ground-source heat pumps to generate its own energy, meaning that no fossil fuels are burned in the building. The building also incorporates rainwater harvesting, black-water treatment, solar water heating and an intelligent building management system.
The Crystal will be made up of 50% office space and 50% exhibition centre and will have a café, named ‘The Crystal Café’, which seats 72 and looks onto the Royal Victoria Dock. Whilst the café structure and layout was delivered by Wilkinson Eyre and the interior was designed by Pringle Brandon, the functional and customer facing elements of the café were designed by restaurant and café design specialist, James Hodges.
Environmentally friendly cafe
James maintained Siemens and Sodexo Prestige’s sustainability vision with a number of facets to ensure the café was as environmentally friendly as it could be. James said:
“We decided to create a waste and recycling station where there would be three specific areas for food waste, packaging waste and liquid waste. To soften the look of this area and reinforce the sustainable message we plan to surround the station with a living wall of plants and herbs some of which are to be used in the food served in the café.
“At every stage we’ve looked at provenance, processes and transport miles to use the most environmentally friendly materials possible and I am delighted with the final look.”
Healthier more sustainable offering
In keeping with recently published research from Allegra Strategies which indicates that consumers are looking for a healthier more sustainable offering when it comes to informal dining, the café will serve delicious home-made Ottolenghi style salads sourced from a community garden situated next to the building, as well as a bistro offering sandwiches, freshly baked cakes made on-site, and cooked food. Additionally the coffee will be Grand Cru, a Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance and Soil Association certified premium coffee while the tea will be from the Rare Tea Company. Pricing for each of the dishes will be very competitive to high street prices.
James Greetham, managing director for Sodexo Prestige in London, said: “We have been appointed as a result of our innovative ideas which combine both the highest standards in service and quality with a determination to source and prepare food in the most sustainable manner possible. This approach reflects the Siemens brand and the vision of the building itself and was fundamental to Sodexo Prestige being awarded the contract.”
The Crystal opens to public on September 29th 2012.