Shanghai workplace 4 O 9 has converted a glass building in Beijing into a cafe, including walls of plants to purify polluted air.
Influenced by Cafe 27’s organic menu, the crew aimed to rework the present construction into a “wholesome” creating lined with greenery and normal materials.
“The design and style was inspired by the client’s choice of meals for the cafe,” architect Lukasz Kos informed Dezeen. “All of the meals is prepared on internet site in the cafe pastry kitchen, from healthful organic components.”
“We needed to elevate that need for healthier foods with a healthier creating, as a result all of approaches we took were ecologically sensitive,” he continued.
Plant-covered architecture is typically employed to increase air quality in polluted cities, as the vegetation absorbs carbon dioxide and generates oxygen. Not too long ago, architect Stefano Boeri revealed designs for a plant-covered 36-storey tower in Lausanne, Switzerland, continuing the “vertical forest” concept he trialled with a pair of towers in Milan.
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Cube-shaped wooden planters line the interior and exterior cafe walls. A hut-like elevation clad in ash batons divides the space in half, splitting up the dining spot from the pastry kitchen and restrooms.
Ash batons are also are utilized to develop a backdrop behind the white-tiled bar. For the flooring, terrazzo borders ceramic tiles that are used to define the seating region.
“The blend of the terrazzo flooring and ceramic bar produces a thermal mass that progressively and passively heats the space in the winter,” explained Kos.
As portion of the pavilion renovation, Four O 9 also overhauled an adjoining building – adding a new facade, terrace dining space, and whiskey bar on its upper level.
“The earlier version of the greenhouse was a terrible and kitschy pavilion in what was a larger venue for weddings,” explained Kos. “We removed the present pink classical facade of the major building and replaced it with charcoal concrete and Douglas fir panels.”
The group also redesigned the surrounding landscape and added the exterior dining garden with bench seats to the front of the cafe.
Photography is by Hu Yihuai.
