Text description provided by the architects.
Gastro Lounge serving South East Asian Cuisine by Celebrity Chef SamLeong, paired with exclusive craft beers imported from Belgium.In March 2020, just as the trap door closed on the country, Enter Projects Asiacompleted the design installation for Spice & Barley at Riverside in Bangkok. MinorInternational were clear on their brief : to introduce innovation and eco-awareness,giving the new brand a local context – to an International design standard.
© Enter Projects Asia
The initialconcept centered around the adventures of three sisters, May, Zaza & Fei who wereborn in Sichuan decades earlier. As they explored the story in more depth, a designnarrative was formed, connecting the past & present in a complex web of free flowing,statuesque rattan structures, as intoxicating as the characters themselves.In their signature style, fusing 3D digital technology with traditional arts & crafts, theEnter Projects team sought to incorporate natural, renewable rattan into the 30-metre-high space.
© Enter Projects Asia
By generating free-flowing liquid geometries, to mimic beer as it’s pouredinto a glass, the design aesthetic gives a strong nod to Spice & Barleys anchorage as acraft Belgium Beer destination. The sweeping rattan columns flawlessly frame thebackdrop of the three sisters, a dual nod to the Sichuan cuisine which ingeniouslycomplements the beer offering.
© Enter Projects Asia
Whilst the form itself is visually awe-inspiring, the goldpainted rattan also serves to hide the beer pipes, air-conditioning and other relatedservices, paying homage to the belief that “form and function should be one, joined in aspiritual union”.The site overlooks the Chao Priya River and the natural rattan structures act as twintowers, referencing the high rise towers in the backdrop.
© Enter Projects Asia
The vast geometries flood theceiling in an uninterrupted balustrade of twists and turns which bounce the light andbecome a beacon from far away. In keeping with the original brief, the designsensibilities at Spice and Barley are intrinsically Asian Fusion, a phenomenal marriageof ideas, creating a space in which you innately sense that the Client and Architect haveunderstood one another perfectly.CLIENT: Minor InternationalARCHITECTS: Enter Projects AsiaCONSTRUCTION & INSTALLATION: Project RattanPHOTOGRAPHY: William Barrington-Binns at https://www.wbbandco.com.
© Enter Projects Asia
