London studio SHH has used ribbed glass panels in graduated sunset colours to provide a sense of the outdoors in this basement dining hall in Beijing's central Chaoyang district.
Located on the lower ground floor of a twenty-storey building, the dining hall spans more than 1,670 square metres and is split into three distinct zones ? a bright, all-day canteen, a traditional hotpot restaurant and a formal dining room.
Arched glass partitions in ombre colours are designed to look like windows
"The architecture of the building is very precise, almost stern, with lots of white and beige," lead SHH designer Thomas Chan told Dezeen. "What we've tried to create is a little bit of fun and hospitality to contrast the corporate face of the rest of the building." The main servery area, which operates from breakfast through to the evening, is symmetrically arranged and leads visitors in a circular route past food stalls serving up Chinese and international dishes.
Terrazzo and terracotta help to create a sense of warmth in the main canteen
Wood panels, terrazzo and orange porcelain tiles were used to create a warm atmosphere while a mix of direct, indirect and concealed lighting creates brightness in the absence of natural light.
The arched, ribbed glass panels that line the seating areas are tinged in the warm pink ombre of dusk ? an effect that is created by sandwiching a digitally printed gradient film in between two sheets of glass.
"Their playful shape is ...