Angelina’s Café is a standout example of how Imperium Engineering supports the transformation of commercial premises into thriving hospitality venues. This project involved turning a former retail unit into a warm, functional café space—complete with a commercial kitchen, new extension, and a fully reconfigured interior layout.
Project Highlights
- Full structural design for a new café extension
- Internal reconfiguration including load bearing wall removal (UK) standards
- Services integration to support a commercial kitchen and customer area
- Delivered on budget and within a tight construction schedule
- Support throughout construction for accurate implementation
Structural Design for Commercial Fit-Out
The move from retail space to café required a total rethink of the internal structural layout. To create the desired open-plan dining area, our team carried out detailed calculations to safely remove several internal load-bearing walls—providing modern spatial flow without compromising structural integrity.
New steel beams and columns were designed to take over existing load paths, and pad foundations were specified to support new vertical loads introduced by the extended roof area. These calculations were completed with the tight tolerances expected of structural engineers for commercial projects, ensuring full compliance with both Building Control and future tenant safety.
Our involvement also included a new commercial extension design to increase capacity for back-of-house services. This included designing foundations, retaining walls, and roof structure, factoring in kitchen equipment loads, waterproofing, and ventilation routes.
Seamless Transition from Retail to Restaurant
Transforming a standard shop unit into a hospitality venue isn’t just about walls and ceilings. It requires full mechanical and electrical coordination, zoning for services, and consideration of high-occupancy loads.
We worked closely with the architect and services engineers to coordinate structure and building services early in the process. This prevented clashes between steelwork and extract ducts, allowed clean ventilation paths, and ensured that the heating and cooling systems could operate efficiently.
This level of integration is essential for any retail to restaurant conversion, where the fit-out must meet both customer expectations and commercial operating needs.
Efficient Delivery and On-Site Support
Our team provided ongoing support throughout the construction phase, including pre-construction handover meetings, contractor briefings, and ad hoc design amendments. This hands-on involvement helped the contractor deliver the programme efficiently and without structural delays.
Our concise documentation package included annotated general arrangement drawings, connection details, and pad sizing to ensure that the design could be implemented with clarity and speed.
Outcome
Angelina’s Café is now a vibrant local spot with a light-filled layout, open seating area, and seamless customer experience. By combining creativity with technical accuracy, we helped bring this venue from paper to reality.
As specialists in commercial building renovation, Imperium Engineering continues to provide the structural expertise behind successful hospitality venues across the UK. Whether adapting existing spaces or building from scratch, we support commercial growth through intelligent, cost-effective engineering.
Project completed: 2024
