Circa Awarded for Interior Design
May 31st, 2007
Honor Awards
Project:
Interior restaurant fit-out in a historic commercial block building in downtown Memphis, Tennessee.
Type of project:
New project.
Total square footage:
4,280 Square Feet
Type of client:
Chef/Owner
Program – special constraints:
New restaurant including bar and lounge for 23 people, dining area for 72 people, private dining room for 14 people, kitchen, offices and restrooms.
Design challenge and design solution:
The screens frequently seen on building facades in Memphis served as the inspiration for this restaurant design. While these façade screens function to soften the strong sunlight, we employed layers of screen to
address the client’s need for “the mayor to have lunch without anyone noticing” while preserving the open face running along a longitudinal side. The screens’ patterning morphs to accommodate their function as a wine wall, light wall or curtain. As one passes in between layers of screens or alongside the glazed long side, a moiré pattern appears. It literally looks like water.
Unusual/innovative components:
Presented with a very long and narrow restaurant space, the architects designed a series of screens that create layered areas of space while maintaining an overall sense of openness. Three different screens were
created to address different programmatic needs. All screens were digitally cut from the architects files and fabricated offsite.
Etched finish film cut into squiggles have been applied to the 125’ long glass storefront facing the pedestrian arcade. The widths and spacing of the squiggles vary creating different degrees of privacy. This squiggle is the fundamental component of the screen geometry.
The layered screens of aluminum squiggles and cherry veneer panels separate the dining areas from the restaurant’s main circulation. The layered screens have the optical phenomenon of a moiré when one
passes by, but visually appear open when viewed directly. The screens double as a wines wall which allows the chef to display his full collection of wines.
The rear cherry paneled wall is a graphic interpretation of the screen wall’s moiré effect. The layers of the creen have been collapsed into a two dimensional surface that is a moment of the moiré. The paneled wall is backlit from behind and provides a large portion of the dining area and bar lighting.
Materials used:
Cherry veneer mdf panels (cnc routered), Sandblasted aluminum (water jet cut), etched finish window film (mechanical knife cut).
Completion date:
May 2007
Construction Budget:
$600,000
