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

View on presentation mode

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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