Le Poulet designed by dongqi Architects is a restaurant and bar located in Shenzhen, China, and the total area is around 100 square meters. In this project, the main concept is to add a steel mezzanine to maximize the usable space in the building. During the process of design, in order to minimize the effect of the mezzanine on the original ground floor, the architect chooses to suspend the whole steel structure.

As a main element of the design, the steel mezzanine is designed by the architect after discussing with the structral engineer and a good amount of elaborate caculation. A curved steel bar which is calculated accurately goes through the fins of the balustrade. Visually it creates an elegent curve and leads the movement of the space. Structrally, part of the fins of the balustrade are transformed into a load bearing component, while functionally, the others could still play the role of balustrade.

The entire steel structure looks like a musical instrument and the shape gives a sense of spacial rhythm. Similarly, the stair of the mezzanine is also suspended. The balustrade of the stairs, made with a steel panel, here also functions as the loadbearing beam. It is hanged from the mezzanine to let the first step float. A thin steel rectangular table with a length of around two meters is hanged from the structure of the mezzanine to totally free the ground floor.Throughout this method, the architect wants to present the structural aesthetic of the space.

On the opposite side of the mezzanine, there is a wall made out of thousands of beer bottles. It is a 3D art wall designed with informational technology and built with digital fabrication. At the same time, color-changing equipments are added in this wall by the lighting designer to create a dynamic atmosphere. After a long time study of the proportion, the façade is renovated with I iron and two different kinds of mesh wire which have different light transmittance. The I iron of the façade is also a part of the interior mezzanine structure.

Architect: dongqui Architects
Photography: Raitt Liu