Japanese studio Kengo Kuma and Associates has refurbished the interiors of the Endo at the Rotunda sushi restaurant at the former BBC Television Centre in London. The studio, which designed the original space, made significant changes to the omakase restaurant, located in the rooftop pavilion on the eighth floor of the circular glass building.
A large cedar wood bench with an undulating, stacked shape gives the room an organic feel. “We avoided the simple solution of just populating the new space with lounge chairs and tables and decorative elements; and instead we gathered the seatings into one big wooden bench that recovers the presence power of the counter,” said Javier Villar Ruiz, architect at Kengo Kuma and Associates.
The studio also added a wavy installation made of polyester fabric, designed to look like paper, which is suspended from the ceiling and adds an ethereal feel to Endo at the Rotunda. “Sushi restaurants in Japan are usually small, cozy, intimate, enclosed spaces,” Ruiz said. “For Endo we had to transform a rooftop pavilion mainly made out of glass and metal showcasing impacting panoramic views of London.”
The restaurant, which seats 10 people, serves an 18-course edomae sushi menu that combines British produce with Cornish and Spanish seafood. The wooden bench has a stacked design, and the studio chose to work with wood as it’s the traditional material used for sushi bars. “Because of the dialogue between the new lounge bench and the sushi counter, using wood was the natural choice,” Ruiz said.
Image courtesy: dezeen.com
