A bamboo canopy modelled on stingrays tops Overwater Restaurant, which architecture studio Atelier Nomadic has added to a lagoon in the Maldives.
The Japanese restaurant is raised on an existing jetty that extends out from the shore and has a bamboo structure with tree-like columns to support its wavy roof.
Drawing inspiration from the surrounding water, Atelier Nomadic designed its form to resemble the shape of pink whiprays, a species of stingray found in the lagoon.
Atelier Nomadic has added a Japanese restaurant to a lagoon in the Maldives
"Maldives is known for its spectacular underwater life," studio creative director Olav Bruin told Dezeen.
"We aimed to bring this sub-aquatic theme to the surface in an architectural form, without being too literal," he continued. "For the main shape, we found inspiration in the pink whiprays that graze in the lagoon, as it was a convenient form to cover the open-air dining space."
The wavy roof is informed by a local species of stingray
Accessed beyond the long stretch of the boardwalk, the restaurant's entrance is set under the lower and slimmer portion of the roof, which is intended to represent the tail of a stingray.
A network of tree-like columns, which are formed from three angled lengths of bamboo, is arranged underneath the structure and extends from the entrance to the end of the jetty.
A boardwalk provides access between the shore and the restaurant
"This system allowed us to make an org...