Case study | Surrey County Cricket Club
It is commonplace for our Clients in the conference & hospitality sector to look at refurbishments to their facilities during their ‘off season’ in readiness for when they need cooling and heating during their busiest periods of the year.
In early 2019, Spheretech were contacted and delighted to be awarded the contract to install a new air conditioning system into The England Suite, at one of the world’s most iconic and prestigious international sports venues, The Kia Oval.
The Oval have hosted domestic and international cricket since 1845. Away from cricket some say The Oval is where English Sport was founded. In addition to being the birthplace of the Ashes, in 1870 the ground hosted the first ever International football match in England between England and Scotland. Two years later in 1872 it hosted both the first ever FA Cup final and the auld enemy came together again this time in a Rugby Union fixture.
The England Suite is The Oval’s premier hospitality facility, large enough to host a wide range of events and comfortably host over 600 guests.
The project facing Spheretech was to replace the old equipment with modern inverter based air conditioning, fully installed and operational within a tight 4 week window, prior to the busy schedule at the start of the 2019 cricket season and existing venue bookings.
The solution specified by Spheretech comprised three separate systems feeding 18 indoor units to provide adequate cooling and heating for the 600m² Suite.
Spheretech are well versed with working in strict accordance with Client operating hours and access protocols and The Kia Oval was no exception. The installation involved out of hours work to ensure there was no impact to existing committed events being held in The England Suite.
Upon successful completion, David Gorrod Head of Venue & Events at The Kia Oval commented,
“Thank you to Spheretech for all hard work and for being such a professional company. The fact that even on the warmest days, neither our guests or our catering team have remarked on the temperature in the England Suite indicates to me that the works are a success!”
Marc Knibbs, Spheretech Commercial Director adds,
“It goes without saying that we were delighted have been awarded The England Suite project. Our Installation team were entirely focussed on the completion of the project as we were all fully aware of the timeframes and sheer volume and diversity of events that The Kia Oval hosts during the Summer. We now have a new satisfied Client and a heightened interest in cricket!”
For further information on The England Suite and events at The Kia Oval click here.