wagamama
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8architect: david chipperfield architects. reenie (karin) elliott worked as a project architect.
building type+location: japanese soup restaurant, soho, london
invisible elements:
- clients study of restaurants in london revealed a gap in the market between formal restaurant and fast food price ranges – the first wagamama restaurant was so popular that queues of up to 100 people formed daily.
- planners required that all queuing should be within the interior space of the restaurant of wagamama 2
- the design sought to create a series of spectacles to accommodate ‘the queue’ so it became a bar overlooking the streets of soho, the restaurant below, and the kitchen
- the process of cooking, especially exotic food, becomes a sideshow
client: alan yau
completion date: 1995