At first Natoma Architects’ Stanley Saitowitz thought he had an irreparable problem. He had a ground level space that no one had occupied for quite some time, and it was his job to figure out a way to conceal the maze of industrial pipes and conduits to create the palette for a hip restaurant.
Drop ceilings or anything of the like would have made the nine foot ceiling height feel nothing short of oppressive, and so in his problem he found a solution. Instead of covering the pipes and electric lines, Saitowitz embraced his obstacle wholeheartedly, adding silver and copper wires nearly everywhere. The result is Conduit, a 3,700 square foot restaurant in San Francisco’s Mission District.
The conduits, which resemble uncooked spaghetti magnified thousands of times over, have been placed strategically from ceiling to floor and across certain areas of the walls to create a sense of depth and dynamism in the restaurant. The design was executed so well that as the story goes, when the electrical inspector arrived to sign off on the project her “Why all these wires?” question was quickly followed with, “And which ones are real?”
Everything about this restaurant was well thought out, from the contrast lighting that adds a theatrical effect on the open kitchen to the black, reflecting granite along the perimeter. To add a sense of playfulness, the bathroom is completely absent of conduits. Instead the clean lines and icy-green starkness of the stalls create an unexpected surprise that once again, causes us to think twice and consider our perceptions.
Posted by Lauren Proctor at 23 July, 2010
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