Recently opened in Bexleyheath, Stuzzichini is a new restaurant on the busy outskirts of London serving authentic Italian food. When the owners initially purchased the building in 2015 they set out to create an ambient environment that would comfortably accommodate around 200 diners.

A hard nut to crack

Originally a carpet showroom, the building presented the contractors with the challenge of transforming a basic space into a fully functional eatery. The area at the back of the restaurant, which can seat up to 50 people, is south facing and therefore exposed to excessive sunlight during the summer. This meant it was important for RACS to provide a solution capable of heating in the winter and cooling in the summer - both of which are functions essential in modern restaurants. It was also vital that the air conditioning system did not detract from the aesthetics of the restaurant environment. Effective climate control was also important, particularly as the levels of occupancy within the restaurant are likely to vary throughout the day and evening.

London-based installers, Ryan Air Conditioning Services (RACS) were consulted based on 37 years’ experience delivering bespoke climate controls - most notably at the Zero Degrees microbrewery restaurant in London’s fashionable Blackheath. RACS approached leading air-conditioning and refrigeration supplier Climate Center to provide project support and technical expertise during the installation.

The perfect blend

Climate Center worked with RACS to specify a bespoke 3 Pipe VRF by Fujitsu - an adaptable heating and cooling system that makes use of the heat generated, resulting in increased unit efficiency and lower operating costs. In addition, this system comes with state-of-the-art controls, including a touch panel LCD wired controller, allowing individual or group operation.

Whereas Fujitsu’s 2 pipe VRF can only provide cooling or heating at one time, the 3 pipe VRF gives the option of simultaneously heating and cooling different rooms in the building at the same time. This provides optimum comfort levels while balancing the demands of a busy kitchen and the comfort of Stuzzichini’s customers.

One of the other challenges RACS faced was that part of the dining area is covered by a false ceiling which the ducted fan coils run through. In order to prevent any condensation gathering and potentially staining or dripping the contractor had to install lagging around the ducted fan coils.

Climate Center provided hands-on support, technical expertise and a selection of appropriate equipment throughout the project, which ran for around 12 weeks. This included on site visits where the Climate Center team would check and re-check the installation, ensuring the project ran as smoothly as possible. This value-added service was especially useful during the bidding and design stages of the project, where support and technical expertise was indispensable.

Ray Voice from Ryan Air Conditioning Services commented: “The support provided by Climate Center was invaluable. They listened to our needs and were able to easily source the best products and equipment for the job. They designed the system and helped with the logistics of the installation ensuring the project was completed on time.” 

Bryan Greenfield, Sales Engineer at Climate Center added: “We were selected to partner with Ryan Air Conditioning Services because of our previous experience in restaurant installations and technical expertise. We developed a great working relationship with the restaurant owner and were even invited to their opening night.”