Excerpt: Time Memories by JG Phoenix Shantou City, Guangdong, China is an eccentric restaurant that takes its inspiration from food memories. Elements the nostalgia like the old wooden furniture, terrazzo flooring, old-style radio bathed in sunlight, and other intimate memories shared by most. The existing shell underwent architectural shifts in order to accommodate the new layout, designs, and in a few cases the eclectic artworks too.
Project Description
[Text as submitted by architect] The restaurant by JG Phoenix is inspired by the memories of aromas from around the kitchen and nostalgia.
Concerns from the existing spatial structures were:
- Low ceiling, the disordered layout of secondary beams, and structural blocks at staggering heights.
- Unreasonable arrangement of staircases, and small window openings.
- Limited lobby area, which restricts the field of view.
Based on this, the design team identified that the key to the design was to connect the four above-ground floors with the basement space. Considering functional demands and the laws of natural light, the design team intended to break the boundary of each floor and set staggering ceiling heights, so that every floor can interpenetrate and integrate with the upper and lower floors, broadening the field of view. In addition, large areas of French windows and translucent materials introduce natural light while ensuring privacy to some extent.
The waiting area on the ground floor was made to be a double-height space by cutting through the original floor slab by preserving the main beam on which the artwork “Naughty Cat” by artist Chou sits. The artwork interacts with the reception desk and enlivens the spatial atmosphere.
Terrazzo boards are applied to large areas of the space. White tableware is put on brass panels in an orderly manner, which extends the space visually.
The glass brick wall on the first floor is embedded into the beam structure, bringing in light whilst ensuring the privacy of the space. The human figure sculptures wearing Chinese tunic suits hold heads high, seeming to tell people about the positive living attitude in the past. Opposite the sculptures are 64 orderly-arranged pieces of kitchenware. Made in Indonesia, those old kitchen utensils not only imply the “overseas Chinese” culture of the Chaoshan area but also carry overseas Chaoshan people’s longing for hometown cuisine.
In a private dining room on the first floor, the design team added a frame to the existing beam. François-Xavier Lalanne’s artwork “Singe attentif” squats in the frame and overlooks the sky, echoing the past scene where kids sat on the old threshold and imaged what they hoped to be when growing up. The seating area extends the air-faced concrete wall and inherits the plain texture, which forms contrast with the wall featuring wood cladding. The designers hoped to show the passage and trace of time via changes in material textures.
The First Floor accommodates several private dining rooms. A functional box composed of about 1,000 walnut wood bricks makes up the entrance area and supports the white wall above. The dining area is double-height, showing strong visual contrast with the tea-drinking area which has a low ceiling. The change of materials defines the boundaries between different areas. The designers didn’t adopt unified surfaces clad in the same materials but instead created diversified structural sections to enrich the space.
The tea-drinking area is independent, with the walnut wood table resonating with the texture of the wooden box at the entrance. The washroom was conceived based on artistic design languages. The design team carved out many small openings in the washroom, to bring in light, obscure silhouettes and create a sense of mystery and flexibility in the space.
On First Floor, the large dining room has an expansive window, which introduces the refreshing greenery outside. Besides, the space is highlighted by a clean and pure tone, exquisite details, a warm feel of wood, a peaceful atmosphere, and archaized objects.
The small dining room on the second floor has a double-height ceiling, with parts of walls clad in wooden veneers. In addition, a hollowed-out round pattern was crafted on the upper white wall, which creates an artistic aesthetic.
The original main beam had to be retained in this area. The design team covered it with wooden veneers, extended it, and added a screen to it to form an interpenetrating structure. The floor-to-ceiling window frames outdoor scenery and integrates the interior with the outside. The sculpture “Walking Cat” created by artist Zhou is placed on the beam, reminding people of past scenes where cats wandered on beams and becoming a visual highlight.
Public passages are unified by gray terrazzo, which is an element frequently used within the entire space. Black handrails and steel panels with archaized grain convey the message about the passage of time. Like the connection point in a time tunnel, the grid-like glass wall generates illusionary visual effects. Several swallow-like artworks created by artist Zhou are set right beneath the ceiling of the passage, seeming to fly to the outside world.
The underground dining area adopts dim lighting and point sources of light, to create a cozy, serene atmosphere. The color of the light on the mezzanine is full of changes, adding a mysterious ambiance and appeal to the dim space. The reflective stainless steel visually elevates the low ceiling of the underground floor, hence alleviating the oppressive feeling in the space. The walnut-wood screen separates the routes of light and generates changes in light and shadows.
Drawings
Images
