London’s Shoreditch might not be the first location you’d consider for an international, luxurious restaurateur, but having undergone radical cultural transformation since the 1980s the area is synonymous with avant-garde, urban cool.

KAP realized it would be the balance between Shoreditch’s established credibility in the hipster psyche, and its ability to appeal to the international traveller looking for lux with a twist of authenticity that would make it a success.

Concrete, with its aesthetic and structural versatility, became the key material in our palette. We used five distinct types to realise this striking design and inviting interior. Post tensioned and exposed concrete slabs allowed the primary structure to be slender enough to add another storey to the building volume which would be permitted by planning and rights to light constraints. Glass reinforced panels were ‘glazed’ into the window system to allow for the rapid and efficient erection of the exterior shell of the building.

KAP Partner and Director, Michael Katsibas worked with local artists and landscape architects to design a cascading park at the southern end of the site that combines a new public open space with informal dining terraces which open out from the main bar located two stories below ground. It is this combination of local authenticity, material sophistication and integrated urban design that characterize this building, and cement its place in a fast changing neighborhood.