Project: Picapia
Award: Hospitality Interiors - Restaurants & Cafe's, Medium Practice (20+ employees), 2024
Location: Nanjing, China
Design Practice: DOMANI Architectural Concepts
Client: Picapia
DOMANI’s design for Picapia, a restaurant located by Xuanwu Lake in Nanjing, China, aimed to integrate architecture with its natural surroundings. It features a neutral colour scheme and natural materials that seamlessly connect the indoors with the outdoors, while the thoughtful placement of screens ensures the necessary privacy in the dining areas. This balance between openness and intimacy enhances the overall dining experience.
“The biggest challenge was the structural renovation of the existing building. It was a temporary building constructed before 2015. During the design process complex yet subtle structural reinforcement was carried out,” DOMANI said.
Design highlights
Glass light boxes in the key functional areas, provide a soft and visually captivating focal point. Due to the wide age range of visitors to Xuanwu Lake, the building needed to have a high level of inclusiveness. The architectural and interior have been designed to be gentle and welcoming.
Photo credit: Vincent Wu
- DESIGN DIRECTOR: Ann Yu