Excerpt: In Noodlology Restaurant designed by MARS Studio has created the atmosphere of an urban kitchen that encourages the interaction between interior and exterior, emphasizing the sense of layering from inside to outside. The terrazzo of the dark floor and light wall set off each other, and the metal Mazha lighting of the modular structure system echoes the small wooden arrayed seats below.
Project Description
[Text as submitted by architect] Because the noodle restaurant is located in the most inside Jidian Yuan, the client named it “inside” in Chinese. The project is close to the south gate of Beijing Jidian Yuan, surrounded by old residential areas. Compared with the strong commercial atmosphere on the north side, “life vitality ” is the main theme spreading around: migrant workers on their way back and forth, students running after school, and old men enjoying the cool in the shade.
This new restaurant was incubated by a Chinese female chef from Michelin Restaurant. Noodlology, as noodle + (-ology), shows the chef’s study and consideration of noodle flavor as a discipline—to maintain the texture of Chinese noodles while integrating the excellent flavor of other countries.
“Fusion” is not only the subject of the restaurant but also the starting point of our design — how to insert a noodle laboratory between the commercial atmosphere and life vitality? Noodlology insists that great flavor should be embraced by the people. MARS wanted to create the atmosphere of an urban kitchen that encourages the interaction between interior and exterior, emphasizing the sense of layering from inside to outside.
Inside, the design tossed the traditional complex decorative languages. The terrazzo of the dark floor and light wall set off each other, and the metal Mazha lighting of the modular structure system echoes the small wooden arrayed seats below. The mirror wall on the inner side of the restaurant mirrors the interior space and extends the journey of the space.
The interior provides three different spatial experiences for dining customers: sitting by the folding window to embrace the filled life vitality, chatting with a couple of friends under the long table, or enjoying cozy alone time against the wall. The life vitality of Noodlology is a sincere scene of busy urbanites shedding their masks of life and taking off their heavy burdens.
Externally, the exterior walls are painted with a light textured coating, freeing the dining room from the original red textured building, and framing the boundary between old and new. The dilapidated doors and windows of the original facade have been replaced with more permeable folding windows. The black steel plate winds up and down, separating the solid wall from the transparent glass windows and becoming the building’s new facade. The upper part of the steel plate formed window frames, while the lower part of the steel plate become outdoor chairs. Folding windows on the facade and outdoor seating enhance the restaurant’s connection to the street.
The interface between the renovated building and the city eliminates the boundary between indoors and outdoors so that diners can feel the life vitality as if they were in their own kitchen when tasting the delicious food. Also, the surrounding residents can find a warm rest place. Folding windows and wall-to-wall seating enhance the connection to the street. Noodlology not only interprets the life of citizens but also reflects the prosperity of the city.
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