A surrealist speakeasy has opened in the heart of Dubai. The Secret Room, by Toronto based designer Paolo Ferrari, is a nightclub that deftly threads together space and time with authenticity. The complex design draws inspiration from the far corners of the world, not unlike the cultural panoply of Dubai, and grounds it within the subterranean depths of the Five Palm Jumeirah Hotel.
The bronze coloured arched bar acts as a luminous showstopper in the nightclub. It serves as a visually weighty object of discovery for guests, and exudes an aerodynamic feel while also anchoring the space. The fibreglass bar was meticulously 3D modelled from the inside out then milled from custom moulds, not unlike fabricating a custom speedboat, and its design is mirrored in the sculpted aesthetic of the host and DJ station.
Prague’s first avocado restaurant
Mimosa architekti designed Avocado Gang, Czech Republic, to be as versatile as the food it is named after.
The simple longitudinal space of the restaurant offers a 9.3m long table with 22 seats in the centre and more seating along the walls. The open kitchen allows customers to verify the freshness of their brunch. The multicoloured centre table is derived from the strong colourfulness of the avocado and the foods prepared from it. “Non-colours” on the scale of grey are a background for colourful objects, be it the table, chairs around it. The table is composed of spruce solid wood square timber in a 160 xby 100mm profile on legs from heat galvanised steel.
Californian restaurant AVOW opens after overcoming the building’s difficult history
Architectural Resources Group helped revive downtown Napa with the opening of AVOW despite the site’s difficult history marked by murder and a tile controversy that cost a few city council members their jobs.
The new AVOW restaurant and bar opened in 2019. Plaques mounted on the building’s pilasters honor the buildings’ dual historic legacy, one features a historic photograph of the original Thomas Restaurant, the other a photograph of Fagiani’s and its Art Moderne tile facade.
Disney’s McDonald’s: Florida’s first eco friendly fast food flagship
The McDonald’s Disney Flagship, by Ross Barney Architects, aims to become the first Net Zero Energy quick service restaurant and in doing so represents McDonald’s commitment to building a better future through “Scale for Good”.
Under a canopy clad in solar panels, the restaurant is a sustainable and healthy response to the Florida climate. Energy consumption is reduced by optimising building and kitchen systems. On site generation strategies include 18,727 sq ft of photovoltaic panels, 4,809 sq ft of glazing integrated photovoltaic panels (BiPV), and 25 off-the-grid parking lot lights produce more energy than the restaurant uses.
Taking advantage of the humid subtropical climate, the building is naturally ventilated roughly 65% of the year. Jalousie windows, operated by outdoor humidity and temperature sensors, close automatically when air conditioning is required. An outdoor “porch” features wood louvered walls and fans to create an extension of the indoor dining room.
A bar, a club and a suggestive red staircase
El Equipo Creativo uses colour to help us differentiate between a bar, club and staircase at Txalupa Gastroleku.
The bar on the ground floor has been designed with a clear reference to the port and its colour. The water of the port of San Sebastian, with a certain depth and calm, acquires a dark greenish hue, which becomes the main tone of the space. The curved wooden bar references the txalupas, both in its tones and in its materiality.
The handmade ceramic pieces, designed specifically for the project, helped to introduce an aquatic effect through its intense turquoise colour, its imperfections and its brightness.
As a colour counterpoint, ropes were introduced which is a typical material in traditional fishing nets. These strings helped give some privacy and personality to the tables. At the same time, they provide contrast to the depth of the turquoise background thanks to their light and warm tones.
Daria: If these walls could speak
Spain’s new restaurant, designed by Zooco Estudio, has had its existing walls stripped back to its original essence when it was once part of an old fisherman’s market.
After clearing the space of coatings, floors, false ceilings, layers of paint and superfluous elements, the original space was recovered. Thus, the mixed stone and brick walls, the oak beams and the plaster vaults give its own personality to the place, recovering its original natural essence.
This shift in personality reorganises the space, leaving in the lower part; the service areas, kitchen, bar and toilets, and in its upper part; the dining room that features a newly created double height. For the double height construction steel was exclusively used but in different formats and based the structure on tubes and profiles and the enclosures on a combination of blind sheets and screens, according to the needs of each room.
Marquee Singapore: ICRAVE’s new jewel on Asia’s nightlife landscape
High end architecture meets disco music at the new Marquee Singapore, putting an enviable worldwide spotlight on the asian club.
Making its debut in Asia and a part of a multi-concept dining and entertainment destination offering at Marina Bay Sands, Marquee Singapore will be a fully immersive nightclub experience with a perfect blend of design, technology and cutting-edge sound that will span across three different floors, dramatically high ceilings and an eight armed Ferris Wheel that offers unrivaled views of the nightclub when riding one of its pods.
St. Trop’s rooftop transforms day and night
LW Design’s latest creation in Dubai is an amalgamation of transformative motifs that double as daytime ambiance for rest and recuperation, and a nighttime clubbing scene.
As guests step onto the teak deck and into the rooftop expanse, they’re blown away by the vibe that the St. Trop bar exudes, but even the vibe varies between night and day. St. Trop is a unique pool bar on the rooftop of the Waldorf Astoria Dubai International Financial Center, United Arab Emirates.
The inspiration behind the design is the luxury yacht scene of the Cote d’Azur, and the aim was to develop a space that could serve different needs at varying times of the day.