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AJ Specification
Case study: Duke of York Restaurant by Nex Architecture
17 August 2020 · By AJ Contributor
The curved plate glass window units of Nex’s Chelsea café retract into a basement trench. Photography by James Brittain
Nex Architecture was commissioned by Cadogan following an international design competition that sought a distinctive restaurant which could be a focal point for Duke of York Square, London SW3. We looked to add further value by creating a dynamic building that respects and enhances its surroundings, while incorporating new public space and greenery.
The spiral form is defined by a slender, off-white, concrete wall that curls upwards from the square, giving both a sense of movement and pleasing views from all sides. Large openings housing the main restaurant space enhance the building’s welcoming presence and allow the restaurant to spill out onto the square in fine weather.
A curving staircase in the outermost limb of the spiral leads to a roof garden, which is open to the public and accessed independently from the square. This is a generous ‘gift’ to the neighbourhood where people can spend time among the canopy of the surrounding trees.
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Inside, the sculptural arches and large, retractable windows emphasise the restaurant’s spaciousness. Ash ceiling slats are carefully arranged to celebrate the building’s spiral form and to contrast with the tougher surfaces elsewhere.
Alongside a private dining space, the basement contains the restaurant kitchen, WCs and plant – including trenches for the glazing mechanism, where its large, steel counterweights are housed.
Alan Dempsey, director, Nex Architecture
Project data
Start on site June 2017 Completion September 2019 Gross internal floor area 640m² Construction cost £5.2 million Construction cost per m² £8,125 Architect Nex Architecture Client Cadogan Structural engineer AKT II M&E consultant E+M Tecnica Quantity surveyor Equals (pre-tender), TTTP (construction) Project manager Capital and Provincial CDM co-ordinator Shore Engineering Approved building inspector Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Main contractor Westgreen Landscape architects Bradley-Hole Schoenaich Landscape Lighting design DHA Design Glazing installation Kollegger Metallbau CAD software used Revit, Rhino Annual CO 2 emissions 55.9 kgCO 2 /m²
Architect’s choices
In creating a restaurant for all seasons we sought a dynamic relationship between the interior of the restaurant and Duke of York Square. It is the windows that give the restaurant this sense of performance: three large, curved panels, 3.2m high and 9.5m wide, glide into the basement on a counterweight, like a sash window.
Our materials selection balanced a desire for refined transparency with structural requirements and stringent environmental standards. A perimeter frame for the glazing is powder-coated mild steel section, which can withstand the high stresses induced by the large moving units.
Intermediate mullions are solid stainless steel flat bars, finished with a soft mirror polish to reflect their surroundings. The toughened and laminated structural glass units are low-iron to increase transparency.
The remaining materials palette is limited and elemental: etched and polished white precast concrete with dolomite stone for the structural ribbon wall; black polished granite terrazzo flooring; and ash wood for the ceilings and roof terrace deck.
Specification
The sweeping curves of the large plate glass windows within the colonnade mirror the modernist façade of the nearby Grade II*-listed Peter Jones department store, while pioneering technology continues that spirit of glazing experimentation. The bespoke steel frame averted the need for horizontal mullions, thus preserving the purity of the building’s design. Moreover, the panels within the three wider openings are retractable, completely opening up the ground-floor space during fine weather and allowing the restaurant to spill onto the surrounding Duke of York Square, while the roof continues to provide shade.
Although similar retraction systems have been installed outside the UK, all have used straight panels. This makes the restaurant the world’s first example of a retractable curved glass system, while celebrating a mechanism that is as strikingly simple as a weighted sash window, sliding down gracefully into a basement trench.
Despite its relatively small scale, the restaurant is the result of an extraordinarily thoughtful design process. The glazing system alone amounted to about 2,500 hours of research and development by Nex and manufacturers and experts across Europe, while the design for the precast concrete wall segments was tested many times to ensure its slender 150mm profile could carry the building’s loads.
Selected products
Engineered oak boards Havwoods Zuna, Rustic , HW9504 Zuna, Rustic Café, lounge, meeting space, reception, counselling room www.havwoods.co.uk
Glazing system Hirt Metallbau Bespoke curved system External glazing www.hirtmetallbau.ch
Curved glass Wenna Glas Bespoke curved glazing External glazing www.wennaglas.com
Structural glazing gaskets Raico Structural glazing gaskets External glazing www.raico.de
Polished precast concrete Evans Concrete White precast concrete with dolomite and quartz aggregate Building shell www.evansconcrete.co.uk
Internal timber ceiling Hunter Douglas Ceilings Solid ash wood grill system Ground floor ceiling www.hunterdouglasarchitectural.eu
Black polished granite terrazzo flooring Ardex Pandomo Terazzo Plus Ground floor www.ardex.co.uk
External timber decking QTD Thermowood Ash Roof garden www.qtdgroup.com
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One comment
Good to see that there will be lots of cross ventilation in this building. You wouldn’t want anyone sweating in there…….
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Hands up if you’re ready to be dazzled! From a ceremony structure designed to float on water to a jaw-dropping reception room with flowers blooming from every service, we’re swooning over every bit of this wedding. If you can believe it, that’s just the beginning. Julia Kaptelova artfully shot every detail, like the ballet performance guests were treated to and snow falling from the ceiling for the first dance! Prepare to be amazed and take a visit to the full gallery .
From About You Decor … Our design is a symbol of dawn and a distant endless horizon. Ahead is a long, happy life without any borders. An international couple, Pavel and Cherry, met in London and have been walking together for many years.
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