DESIGN NAME: Ito Japanese
PRIMARY FUNCTION: Restaurant
INSPIRATION: Considering the brand’s feature of serving original Japanese cuisine in Beijing’s Parkview Green renowned as a hub of innovative thinking, design focuses on going beyond traditional Japanese design norms. It presents a distinct Japanese Karesansui - dry landscape. Various shapes are deployed to present a dynamic nature. Chinese garden elements are assimilated to create a different aesthetic appeal. Artful ceilings and metal bamboo screens, instead of washi paper, are products of this concept.
UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Design combines Chinese and Japanese garden philosophies. It blends Chinese patterns and Japanese Karesansui landscape. To present traditional concepts in a modern way, decorations combine natural and metallic materials. Interior consists of three sections – The Atrium, Mystery of Nature and the Periphery. The atrium is a courtyard surrounded by several compartments for sensing four seasons. The rear part is a Japanese periphery space for signature Robatayaki and Teppanyaki cuisines.
OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION: To facilitate restaurant’s operation to serve various gathering purposes, interior space is divided into sections with different vibes. Instead of solid partitions, corridors are paved to run through the whole venue to form dining sections. Translucent glass screens are installed to keep privacy of each section while maintaining visual comfort. For quick access, private rooms are located next to the entrance, so visitors could enter the rooms directly without crossing other dining sections.
PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION: The project started in Dec. 2020 in Beijing, China, and finished in Nov 2021. The Restaurant’s location is at Parkview Green FangCaoDi, Chaoyang Dist., Beijing, China.
FITS BEST INTO CATEGORY: Interior Space and Exhibition Design
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PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY: Design emphasizes a balanced form that combines Karesansui landscape techniques with Chinese Siheyuan layout. It also incorporates the idea of artful ceiling designs in ancient architecture, yet reinvent it in modern 3D style. Instead of Japanese washi paper, metals and glasses are used to make screens. Steel, embossed glass, marble stones become key construction materials. Meanwhile, Engineer Wood Flooring technique reduces the use of original hardwood.
SPECIFICATIONS / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES: Floor area: 375 square meters.
TAGS: Chinese and Japanese garden, Karesansui, Shiheyan, Robatayak, Teppanyaki. Asia Restaurant.
RESEARCH ABSTRACT: Information is mainly provided by clients. Meanwhile, we also make use of our experience got from previous design projects executed in Mainland China.
CHALLENGE: Several independent dining sections are needed within limited interior space. To keep a spacious feeling, corridors and glass screens, instead of solid walls, perform the partitioning function. The pressing feeling resulting from a low roof is overcome by a feature ceiling built with reflective rippled mirror-polished steel which is also a focal point. Metal bars of the feature wall at the shopfront had to be linked and set at specific angles manually which was a process requiring much skill and labor.
ADDED DATE: 2022-09-06 08:51:18
TEAM MEMBERS (1) : Designer: Monique Lee
IMAGE CREDITS: All images: Parkview Green, ITO Restaurant, 2021
PATENTS/COPYRIGHTS: Copyright belongs to Monique Lee, 2020.
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