BEAN TO BAR

Chocolate Boutique Salmiya Kuwait 2017

BEAN TO BAR
BEAN TO BAR

Studio Toggle designed the debut boutique for Bean To Bar, a young and upcoming Kuwaiti chocolatier at Argan Square, Salmiya, Kuwait.

Year

2018

Team

Gijo Paul George, Hend Almatrouk, Ghanem Younes

Photos

Gijo Paul George

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The 33m2 space with a narrow frontage posed a significant challenge for the architects who desired to create a bright and airy atmosphere with plenty of storage space and flexibility. The architects devised a simple solution that featured a slender, cellular waffle vault along with the longitudinal axis of the store that morphed into a sleek secondary enclosure. This eliminated the need for a conventional ceiling and created an illusion of a greater expanse.

The dimensions of the cells of the vault were based on the modular packaging unit used by the chocolatier. The vault was re-imagined as an analogue screen with the cells doubling up as pixels.

The vault was parametrically generated and optimized for digital fabrication as a slot-in waffle system. This enhanced the ease of construction, cut down material wastage and resulted in a very precise self-supported steel structure.

The symmetry of the vault is broken and emphasized at the same time by employing an algorithmically generated steel chandelier, which almost has a parasitic relationship with the vault. By juxtaposing these strongly opposing elements, the architects created a refined industrial look for the boutique while maximizing the efficiency and the lightness of the space. Vein-cut silver travertine was chosen as flooring and also to clad the built-in refrigerated counters. This added a warm undertone and balanced the overall ambience.

Bean To Bar was a successful example of Studio Toggle's implementation of generative processes not just as a design tool but also to aid in the digital fabrication and optimization workflow.

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