ArchShowcase 
Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. Fine Cafe in Beijing, China by Atelier AMay 17th, 2019 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: Atelier A Fine Café is located in a traditional Hutong area near Gong Wang Fu, a prince’s mansion of the Qing Dynasty. In this renovation project, the architects intend to highlight the contrast between history and modern life, and between traditional Beijing architecture and European style. Like many old residences in Beijing, the building is dug on ground level, descending about one metre. To take advantage of this extra space, a loft is built to divide the café into a lower space dominated by traditional Chinese style and an upper one by European elements.  Image Courtesy © Atelier A
 Image Courtesy © Atelier A The first floor is furnished with low wood tables and stools specially designed to recreate the traditional Hutong lifestyle. The tables are all manually polished so as to preserve the texture of the wood. Against the traditional furniture is the customer-made terrazzo, the dark green marble aggregates in which echoes the same colour extensively used in the café. On their way to the second floor, customers will pass by a historical archway of grey bricks. This was not in the original design. When realizing that the load-bearing arch could not be demolished, the architects decided to preserve it so that the café blends with the environment, for the grey bricks are widely used in the surrounding Hutong area. Embedded in a shop serving coffee and pancakes, the arch gives quite a surprising effect.  Image Courtesy © Atelier A  Image Courtesy © Atelier A The atmosphere upstairs is entirely different. With the Art Deco rebar and the antique European furniture, one might feel like sitting in a terrace in Paris. Wood steps are installed as both sitting places and stairs leading to the French windows. In summer and autumn, the windows can be opened so that the interior of the café extends to the exterior. The split-level design, reinforced by multiple decorative mirrors, creates a complex, yet open and communicative space.  Image Courtesy © Atelier A  Image Courtesy © Atelier A  Image Courtesy © Atelier A
Contact Atelier A
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
|||||
email
Facebook
Twitter
RSS Feed
