Morimoto
From MaterialProject.org, the free architectural material catalog
Morimoto Restaurant was designed by renowned architect Tadao Ando. The space borders what is considered as Manhattan’s Chelsea Market, a hip, quasi-industrial arcade. The site once served as the Nabisco Baking Company’s loading dock and basement. The design intent for this space was to create a creative and implicit allusion to Japanese culture. [1]
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Building information
Designer: Tadao Ando
Program type: Restaurant
Project size: 12,000/sq.ft.
Project Address:
88 10th Ave
New York, NY 10011
Building analysis
At first, restaurant owner Stephen Starr was concerned that, due to Ando’s style, the restaurant might appear too “cold or museum-like”. He explicitly told Ando, that he wanted a warmer feel. With that in mind, Tadao Ando created a space where a variety of contrasting surfaces, playful angles and wave-like ceiling panels create a fun and engaging interior.
Ando recognizes restaurants as “places for entertainment”. His use of muted materials such as concrete, wood and cotton canvas (ceiling panels) represents the idea behind the surfaces associated with sushi preparation. These materials set the stage for the moments of spark, which are created by the use of intense colors through lighting, funky furniture, and random materials such as plastic bottles of water.
Detail analysis
There is one particular element in this restaurant that stands out amongst the crowd. This feature wall is located in the center of the space and it stands almost the two stories tall. The free standing wall is composed of 17,400 half-liter plastic bottles of water mimicking the look of glistening chunks of ice. These bottles are screwed into electric socket-like couplers that are held in place by stainless steel rods. Running down the wall, LED point lights of two different color temperatures create a shimmering, glowing effect. While working on this project, Tadao Ando said that he is interested in bottles “because they’re very basic household items that can become something entirely different, depending on how you use them.” [2]
References
Notes
<http://archrecord.construction.com/projects/interiors/archives/0609_1morimoto-1.asp/ Architectural Record>
Student contributions
- Hazel Echevarria, Spring 2008
External links
Additional resources
