In a bold celebration of Canadian cuisine and the unforgiving winter climate, UK architecture studio Pearce+ and Canadian designer Joe Kalturnyk have collaborated to create a temporary inflatable restaurant in Winnipeg, Canada. This innovative structure, unveiled during the 10th annual RAW:almond fine dining food festival, offers a unique dining experience amidst subzero temperatures, challenging conventional notions of winter dining.
Design Concept: A Barrel-Vaulted Shelter
The temporary restaurant, designed by Pearce+, features a striking barrel-vaulted design that accommodates up to 48 guests in temperatures as low as -30 degrees Celsius. Each year, the RAW:almond food festival commissions the construction of a temporary structure that reflects its environment and emphasizes sustainable reuse. The inflatable restaurant exemplifies this ethos by minimizing waste, celebrating local identity, and embracing simplicity in design.
Innovative Construction Techniques
Constructed over a few weeks by Pearce+, the 220-square meter restaurant showcases cutting-edge construction techniques. The vaulted dining room, spanning 140 square meters, boasts a Diagrid framework consisting of 18-meter-long, reinforced steel bars. Moreover, These bars, bundled in groups of three, create lightweight trusses that form the structure’s foundation.
Custom Inflatable Panels
To mitigate the impact of subzero temperatures, Pearce+ collaborated with inflatable specialists at Inflate Ltd to develop custom inflatable panels. These panels, stretched over the framework, feature a gold-colored foil layer that reflects heat into the space. Additionally, transparent panels along the ridge line offer guests a view of the snowy sky, enhancing the dining experience.
Functional Layout and Amenities
The restaurant’s layout includes a rectangular kitchen situated directly behind the dining area, equipped with high-quality appliances and constructed with Structurally Insulated Panels (SIP). Furthermore, Trapezoidal buttressing structures cap each end of the dining area, providing stability against strong winds and serving as emergency egress points.
Vision and Sustainability
For RAW:almond co-founder Joe Kalturnyk, the inflatable restaurant represents a vision of reimagining urban spaces and embracing the winter landscape. Moreover, By pushing the boundaries of traditional dining settings, RAW:almond aims to foster a sense of community and adventure, challenging diners to embrace the elements and experience the beauty of winter in a new light.
Conclusion: A Testament to Innovation
In conclusion, the inflatable restaurant in Winnipeg stands as a testament to innovation and creativity in design. By seamlessly blending architectural prowess with functional excellence, Pearce+ and Joe Kalturnyk have redefined the possibilities of winter dining. As guests gather in this remarkable structure to savor Canadian cuisine amidst subzero temperatures, they are not only partaking in a culinary journey. But also experiencing the magic of design innovation in action.
The photography is by Simeon Rusnak.
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