Client: Breckenridge - Wynkoop

Overview

Session Kitchen is a restaurant designed to showcase and celebrate the intersection of art, culture, community, food, and music. Twelve major installations from a hand picked group of global artists inspired the design and act as the integral elements that shape the dining experience in the gallery-like restaurant. The design of the interior gives the space a refined urban feel uniting three distinct bar areas and two unique dining spaces over two levels within the nearly 4,000 sq. ft. dining area

Goals

For this project, artwork is the primary design element being showcased and integrated into the build-out of the restaurant. Many of the artists chosen for the restaurant had been selected prior to starting the design of the spaces; this made the integration of the artwork look and feel more purposeful. The interior of the dining area and bars are deliberately designed to combine and support the pieces in one fluid manner. Many of the art pieces chosen for the space blur the line between architectural design and art by being incorporated into the architectural features of the design; photographs and murals are plastered and painted directly onto the walls, tile work covers the surface of the kitchen, and steel steps leading to one of the bars have words bead welded into the step surfaces. The large suspended art piece over the main bar helps organize and anchor the main floor area in a very architectural manner while maintaining a very diaphanous and atmospheric look and feel.

Process

The compressed timeline of the project mandated that everyone involved work closely together to develop and execute the designs. The architects and creative director worked with the artists to help develop the size, scale, and color for the site built pieces through email, sketches, 3D models, and drawings prior to the artwork being installed. The architects worked directly with the artist to generate a design for the large suspended light sculpture over the main bar to spatially organize and anchor the large dining area while having it remain a dynamic and powerful art installation. The artist mocked up several material options that were evaluated for cost, ease of construction, and timeline considerations. Once material choices were made, the artist, architects, and engineers worked together to plan the production and installation of the entire piece.

Additional Information

bldg. collective was founded as a new way of approaching the practice of architecture and delivering a design based personalized professional service in a collaborative, comprehensive, and resourceful manner. Our practice is dedicated to generating inovative design solutions that incorporate meaningful human experience through the connection of context, material, and program while advancing the goals of the client. This project is a great example of how the application of this approach can result in transcendent and exceptional spaces.