Planning Rationale
The High School Dining Center consists of a Cafeteria, Servery and Kitchen. The Cafeteria allows students to congregate, socialize, and sit and eat during their lunch period.
Design Considerations
Location
The Cafeteria shall be located on the first floor and strategically placed in a centralized location relative to other program spaces in the building. The main entrance and exit to the space shall not be directly adjacent to a classroom.
Layout
The Cafeteria shall be designed to accommodate a school population 1,200 or more students with the intent that one quarter of the student population will be eating at one time. It should be assumed that the entire school will eat over the course of four lunch periods. The minimum size of the dining room is determined by the ideal student population, the number of students per table, size of the tables, number of serving lines and kitchen capacity. See 4.5.2 Servery for serving line capacity.
The Cafeteria is considered a high volume space and ceilings may be 1.5 to 2 stories in height. This space will require acoustical and impact isolation/vibration separation. See 2.1.1 Overview - Building Height.
Adjacencies and Circulation
Student traffic patterns through the Cafeteria, Servery and the relationship to the kitchen to the Servery are critical to the efficient operation of the overall facility.
- Entry/Exit: The Cafeteria and Servery shall be adjacent to each other, with the Cafeteria having two entry points, one of which shall be distinct and separate from the Servery entry.
- Queuing: This organization allows one group of students to queue into the Cafeteria while students who have already eaten are exiting, reducing cross traffic.
- Recycling/Trash Area: The Cafeteria shall be planned so that the student exit path passes through a recycling/trash area denoted in the plans as Recycling/Trash Area. This area includes a milk disposal sink, a hand sink and drinking fountains.
- The AOR shall work with Nutrition Support Services and a kitchen consultant for equipment selection, layout and traffic flow.
Student Seating
Consideration shall be given to the variety of types of seating options available to the students. Tables can be rectangular, bench type/banquette, round, oval, or bar height seating.
Storage
Storage rooms are required and shall be accessed directly off the Cafeteria for dedicated table storage. The storage shall be sized to fit all Cafeteria furniture.
Finishes
Solid surface wall protection shall be used within the Cafeteria for durability. Colors should be used throughout the Cafeteria Dining Area to make the space warm and inviting.
Natural Daylight Views
Natural daylight and views shall be integrated into the design of the space.