typology_ecotourism

program_restaurant

mission_architectural, interior and landscape design

location_Kocaeli, Turkey

client_Nar Eğitim ve Danışmanlık Merkezi

surface_ 190 sqm

status_delivered, 2013                       

The building, with its principal façade facing southwest, was designed to combine features of both a dining space and a greenhouse, in order to host indoor plants and people together.

The main volume of the building opens vertically and horizontally towards the natural landscape, giving users the opportunity to enjoy the view from every corner of the space.

To ensure minimal impact on the natural environment, the building is constructed on wooden pilotis, lifting it above the ground.

The building and its interior are conceived in such a way so as to alter the conventional customer behavior patterns from passive to active engagement. Guests are being subtly and naturally oriented to share their tables and food, to serve themselves and each other. The landscape design in and around the building, the configuration of the terraces, the decoration of the walls and the signage – all join together to create a single holistic design which works to raise awareness about nature, ecology and its ethics.

Initially designed and constructed as a temporary space for five years, the restaurant served its purpose for a decade before making way for a permanent structure, also designed by Kuscu & Reynaud. All elements of the original restaurant have been recycled and upcycled in the construction of the new building.

photos credit: Serdar Temizkan