qualia
Restaurant Project as an Architectural Intern
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Qualia was conceived as an interactive stage for the art of cooking. Serie was invited to design the flagship 100-seat restaurant at the end of 2017, where the brief asked for good acoustics and lighting to support the dining experience. The restaurant is thus designed to heighten the sensual qualities of the dining experience; from the tastes and aromas of the food to the choreography of cooking as the chefs create each dish.
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Office : Serie Architects
Status : Completed
Duration : 6 months
Site Area : 1500 sq.ft
Location : World one Lodha, Mumbai, India
Principal Architect : Kapil Gupta
Team : Sundeep, Khush, Kalpesh, Sameer, Ridhi, Suraj
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Key Roles in the project:
- Client presentations
- Banquette design GFC drawing, counter drawing under supervision of seniors
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*all images are property of Serie Architects
The array of spaces follow the restaurant’s linear form and are accentuated by the careful insertion of delicate material details. For the guests, it offers a playful dining experience where they are a part of the entire practice of cooking. The kitchen is open to the main seating area, allowing diners to witness all stages of food preparation. By framing and highlighting the different back-of-house areas, the creation of dishes is turned into a theatrical event. Each section of the kitchen is framed, like a proscenium in a theatre, drawing the eye through a series of preparatory layers. There are three such sections: the main cooking area which comprises the hearth and pizza oven; the dessert and baking area; and the bar.
planning
The long, linear volume is interrupted by three large columns in the center of the space. Hundred-foot long glass façade gives a view to the street and gardens beyond. The design seeks to place guest seating as close to the windows as possible and to take advantage of the sequence of four bays as defined by the structural columns. The proscenium is made of shelves displaying the ingredients that make up each dish.
kitchen
The kitchen is also configured as a linear arrangement of four distinct activity zones: the first bay stages the bar, the bakery in the second, the live cooking stations in the third and a sommelier’s table at the fourth bay. Fronting the kitchens is a long continuous table and counter, allowing diners to interact with the chefs and their preparation.
ceiling
Tracing the counter moves a semi-transparent bronze curtain, revealing and concealing the theatre of the kitchen. The sweeps of the curtain define each bay, while unifying them visually as a singular continuum. Stretching 16 feet in height from the timber ceiling to the floor, the curtain is drawn up over the bar, open kitchen, and sommelier station, creating distinct proscenium-like spaces.
The ceiling is designed as an array of timber frames within which rows of timber louvers absorb and direct sound to a thick layer of sound insulation foam above. These frames turn onto the façade over the open kitchen to create rows of timber shelves that hold the bar display and stacks of glass jars of pickled vegetables and fruits. Black terrazzo is the primary floor and wall finish, complementing the palette of timber surfaces and bronze chainmail.
seating
The seating in the restaurant included 3 types of variations: Banquette seating along the facade of the building, Tables and chairs to access the floor area and Bar seating to increase capacity and provide space for an informal setup in the whole restaurant
