< PreviousCover story commercialinteriordesign.com July 2020 20 evolves to this end, restaurants will also have to evolve and continually improve and remain relevant. We believe that it is key to have a 'transformational' philosophy and 'continuous improvement' and evolving approach and mentality, as we begin the journey out of the current pandemic situation. "There’s already a lot of stress in the air. Let's design relaxed and enjoyable spaces yet be safe and sustainable." Elsewhere in the world, creative options are being encouraged to create social distancing without obliterating the design DNA of the cities' restaurant scenes. US interiors specialist Tihany Design has created design concepts for attractive screens to ensure safe social distancing. The screens are lightweight, easily moveable and storable, simple to clean and maintain and can be tailored to the restaurant to match the existing interiors. The atelier, which worked on restaurants for the launch of Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach, admits it intends them to be a short-term solution, though one that still needs to be in keeping with the interiors in which they sit. “Our primary goal in designing the custom screens was to encourage and support our clients with their immediate needs for reopening," says Alessia Genova, managing partner at Tihany Design. "In reality, we hope that these needs will be short-lived and the screens can soon serve a different function within the restaurant, unrelated to social distancing. All of these temporary fi xes will change the way we experience these spaces, but it will not be forever. For now, we continue to support each other through this new territory." In Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, the Mediamatic ETEN, is offering a four-course vegetarian menu for diners, all served to guests while they sit in their own personal quarantine greenhouses outside. Celebrity chef David Chang asked his Twitter followers to share images of restaurants in eateries in Taipei, Hong Kong, South Korea, and China with new precautions in place, in the hope that the safety measures there might help establish a protocol in the US. Retro-fi tted panels seem to be the new norm, which are being removed as government guidelines change to meet a fast-moving international situation. Alsahin says that aligns with requests from F&B clients to install temporary social distancing measures. "We are working on multiple F&B projects that not necessarily require social distancing but indeed mind the pandemic in many aspects. "The Italian restaurant we're working on in Abu Dhabi is located in Souq Aljami, the mall which is near to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. "This restaurant required social distancing design measures but with a plan to revert back to normality. "So, we utilised a design that can be adaptable to provide different layout planning space by using arched colored glass partitions which you can move and slide to create different safe spaces in between and in the same time provides the option to be back to normal. 'We are having conversations with our clients for a long-term solution and how we dine out until the crisis abates. "One such solution are wireless chargers that are incorporated in the tables, to stay away from the old sharable power banks. "We have been asked to value the outdoor space more and better by utilising space outside restaurants during this period of social distancing. "We had inquiries that embrace previous trends like open kitchen to have the transparency on how the food is being prepared and assure the customers on the restaurant measures of social distancing so the aim changed, as before the target Most important is to design organically safe experience was to have more like a theatrical act in the open kitchen. "Also, there is a demand for private dining rooms, more than one in a restaurant. I believe we will see more of this trend in the coming days, where a business or family can enjoy a safe private dining experience. "Innovations in technology are being requested like, contactless order screens using hand gestures. "What we learned working in the time of COVID-19 is to be adaptable, so that should refl ect in our designs: Remove fear and be able to revert back to normal. "Building a restaurant is a big investment, we need to be sure that what our design is a long-term solution with cost-effective interventions. T "Most important is to design an organically safe experience without people noticing while ticking all the boxes.Cover story 21 July 2020 commercialinteriordesign.com Social distancing measures in a Bangkok restaurant Of industry professionals think there will be a return to 'normal' restaurant spacing before the end of 2020 43% Of those surveyed believe that contactless dining is a passing fad and physical menus and handshakes, will return 78% Of people said buffets and sharing concepts wouldn't survive. Indeed the regulations for buffets have now changed Stats from ROAR's white paper 26% Novikov screen by Tihany Design offers a different lookFirst Look commercialinteriordesign.com July 2020 22 WORKING Studio Republik gym in Dubai, by Lulie Fisher Design Studio P h ot o c re d it s: A le x Je ff ri es P h ot o gr ap h y G ro up IT OUTFirst Look 23 July 2020 commercialinteriordesign.com Ph ot o cr ed it s: Al ex Jef fr ies Ph ot og ra p h y Gr oupFirst Look commercialinteriordesign.com July 2020 24 Studio Republik is a 5,500 sqm space off Dubai's Sheikh Zayed Road offering workouts, music, drama and dance, as well as the chance enhance the body's capabilities with nutrition, rehab and prehab, personal training, and strength and conditioning. It is split into three distinct 'communities' or 'platforms', The Arena: A family of studios for aerial, bootcamp, cycling and group exercise, The Stage: A home for the performing, and The Lab: An integrated wellness centre providing yoga and Pilates studios for mind and body work, nutrition counseling, personal training and rehabilitative services delivered from a Dubai Health Authority approved polyclinic. There's also a restaurant, co-working and performance space. Lulie Fisher Design Studio designed Studio Republik to occupy the fi rst and second fl oors of what was a shell and core offi ce building on Dubai's main arterial road. Not being purpose built, there were many obstacles to overcome ranging from structural strengthening, compromised ceiling heights and acoustic privacy – both from neighbouring offi ce and retail tenants and between Studio Republik's own activities, some of which have been cocooned in six-sided acoustic 'fl oating boxes' to ensure sound separation. The client's brief was to deliver a ground-breaking facility like no other in terms of design, style, function, acoustics and seamless integration of cutting edge technology and equipment. With the Covid-19 pandemic, this technology originally conceived as a business tool to track and profi le member usage has now been redeployed to keep members safe with the help of access control gates, smart wristbands, and booking apps to control capacity, protect personal space and reduce the need for surface contact. The atmosphere is dynamic, interactive and sensory creating visual, auditory, tactile and olfactory experiences that start in the atmospherically lit lobby, where walls and ceilings lined with fi ns of glowing coloured glass, mirrors and mesh conceal dense acoustic absorbency and 4K projectors imprint images onto gently swaying curtains. On the fi rst fl oor the journey to reception continues down the 100m'street' lined with a lustrous dark blue woven wall, to the accompaniment of angled trick lighting and 8m-wide edge bled projections delivering inspirational and educational content. The reception is half way along the route and opposite a luminous top lit double height volume, housing the restaurant ROH and connected to the Lab on the second fl oor via a dynamic, sculptural steel stair case. At the reception members check class timetables and book classes via digital screens. ROH is the beating heart of Studio Republik, a casual daytime meeting place, co-working space and café encouraging social interaction. By night it transforms into a restaurant where lighting pendants refl ect in the full height mirrored walls and the glass roof at night. The palette is raw yet refi ned, combining timber and concrete in the fl oor, blue stone bar counters, a sculptural concrete feature wall with a graphite metallic sheen and accents of pale blue and tan leather in the furniture. Every studio has its own unique design and fi nishes palette but follows a common family language of design look and feel established for the Platform it belongs to. The Stage A warm, hospitable yet edgy palette of oak, recycled white brick, mirrors and ballet barres, black rubbers, meshes, wool crepe fabrics, deep burgundy and black velvet drapes and soft terracotta hues on the walls. The dance and drama studios combine a hip industrial vibe with a warm welcoming character – a pre-requisite for teaching. Designed with the intention of having a fl exible studio space for performance and gathering, the dance and drama studios Design elements challenge the body and soul Casual and sunny by day Space to meet or eatFirst Look 25 July 2020 commercialinteriordesign.com are separated by a wool-lined acoustic operable partition. The music studios are a series of acoustically engineered musical boxes comprising a music tech lab equipped with digital audio workstations and controllers, ten private tuition rooms, ensemble rooms equipped for rehearsing and a recording studio. The Arena A space for live music, DJ booths, projections and coloured RGB lighting synchronised to sound and movement. The studios have been designed to create an immersive experience for the exhilarating adrenaline rush of the high impact classes being run within. The material palette for these areas has a night club-style aesthetic juxtaposed with glamour. The spaces are characterised by shiny black timbers, polished concrete, fi nned mirror planks providing endless refl ections and black, pink and turquoise over scaled fl oral wall coverings which wrap the ceilings and walls of the Aerial Studio – a women-only boudoir/Moulin Rouge style environment. An air of theatre is provided by targeted shafts of professional stage lighting focused on the performers. The Lab Designed to be a sanctuary for enhanced well being; the essence of the studios is to encourage the importance of bringing together a balanced life, mind and body. It combines the light and ethereal aesthetic of grey timbers and billowing white sheers with the rigour of Japanese-style modulated screens lined with backlit glowing shoji papers and white glass. Live fl autists and violinists accompany classes. A personal training suite provides rehabilitation, conditioning and pampering to transport mind, body and soul. This is backed up by the rehabilitation clinic, a DHA-approved polyclinic which houses six treatment rooms, nutrition counseling suites and a rehab gym. This clinic complies with all the seriousness of infection control driven seamless surfaces but delivered with a design style that is pure hospitality. The changing rooms and toilets are hospitable and tranquil, providing a refreshing breakaway from the energy of the studios. The brand's signature teal colour continues into the washrooms and is contrasted with black metal trims and fl oor fi nish. The changing areas have a soothing ambience with warm timber cladding and soft indirect lighting. A whimsical and playful atmosphere is created in the vanity area with the insertion of bright red stools and a black and white fl oor pattern creating the illusion of arrows that climb the walls to a dado height in a nod to the brand logo. Custom designed lighting features mounted to mirrored ceilings create an illusion of infi nity in an area of restricted head height. The feeling The overall transparent nature of the design provides a backdrop of visual stimulation and creativity. The music studios are punctured with large acoustic windows allowing visibility into the technical studios and ensemble rooms; the bootcamp with its Tron-style lighting grid and RGB coloured lighting wands provides the backdrop to the reception via acoustically glazed walls which also line the PT gym and GX studios. With sustainability very much on the agenda, all materials have been locally sourced and all furniture and feature elements have been designed and locally manufactured to reduce the carbon footprint. Studio Republik has been designed to challenge your body, your soul and your senses. The Arena Project designers: Lulie Fisher and Natasha Ahmed Lighting design by Visual Energy London and Light Alliance, Dubai Mechanical, electrical engineering by The Hidi Group Acoustic engineering by 21dB AV design by Mood Media Structural engineering by Mimar Kitchen design by Michael Chabowski Technical Services The Stage The LabSpecial Report commercialinteriordesign.com June 2020 26 SPECIAL REPORT P h o to c re d it : A rt el ie r Special Report 27 June 2020 commercialinteriordesign.com EMERGING TRENDS Bringing life to surface design SURFACE DESIGN PAGE 28 Meet the creatives behind Artelier’s Artist Walls collection PAGE 32 Trend focus: Design academics from Heriot- Watt University Dubai on upcoming looks P h o to c re d it : A rt el ie r Special Report commercialinteriordesign.com July 2020 28 Artelier's Artist Walls reinvents the concept of the feature wall – Artist Walls are large-scale artworks that are not only striking wall fi nishes, but customised collectors' pieces made by leading artists. It evolved from Artelier's experience as art consultants for exclusive private residential and superyacht projects. Such clients seek wall fi nishes that go beyond the familiar idea of the feature wall, and push the possibilities of bespoke elements in interiors. Artelier saw an opportunity for original art to be developed as site- specifi c feature walls in both private and commercial projects, reinvigorating a common feature of interior design. Created specially for a project, each contemporary mural artwork is tailored to the aesthetic and practical needs of its context. Commonly, feature walls are developed with wall fi nishing companies, who are well-established in the industry and are accustomed to the typical challenges of such projects. Collaborating with artists instead brings their originality and novel ideas to a project, creating a feature that has not been seen before Bespoke feature wall art is also fully customisable, unlike commercially produced wall fi nishes – clients therefore receive the effect they envision, while benefi tting from specialist consultation to elevate the initial concepts. With Artist Walls, Artelier has made contemporary mural art more accessible to commercial and hotel clients and brings together 23 international artists who specialise in different artforms and are capable of working at a large-scale. The commission process is straightforward for the client, providing full project management: They oversee the development of the concept in close collaboration with client and artist, ensuring all timescales and the highest standards of quality are met, and organise shipping, logistics and installation. Artelier will also help adapt artworks so they are suitable for any space. It means they can be scaled up to fi ll an entire lobby wall, adapted to the humid environment of EXPLORING: COMMERCIAL ARTWORKS OFF THE WALL Meet the artists bringing interior surfaces to life Tobias Tovera's work is inspired by alchemySpecial Report 29 July 2020 commercialinteriordesign.com a hotel spa, or act as a headboard artwork in a presidential suite. Creating an Impact in the lobby On expansive walls, the large-scale dramatic paintings of Tobias Tovera create an immersive experience for the viewer, encouraging contemplation within a lobby environment. Tovera is inspired by ideas of alchemy and the possibility of transforming organic materials, creating his paintings by mixing a concoction of earth-based pigments and mineral salts. The chemical reactions that result, often activated by the artist's introduction of fi re, produce an array of dispersing colours and graduations of textures. The colour palette can also be customised so as to best enhance an interior design scheme, creating an awe- inspiring fi rst impression. The production process for Tovera's artworks also allows them to be scaled to any size wall, and installed as one seamless piece. The mesmerising experience of contemplating his artworks together with the limitless possibilities for scale make Tovera's art especially well-suited for a lobby. The paintings of Michelle Gagliano engage with nature through subject matter and sustainable mediums and are an evocative response to landscapes, expressing the transience of nature and the ethereal expanses of sea, land or sky. Their powerful, almost impressionistic effect is best appreciated at a larger scale, acting as a stunning focal point. Gagliano's refi ned use of gold makes her paintings especially eye-catching. They're also inherently focused on sustainability through her use of materials. She creates her own paint by grinding raw earth pigments, blending extracted nut oils, and infusing essential lavender solvents, resulting in non-toxic paints that produce minimal waste. The low-impact material are ideal for an environmentally conscious project. murals in reception areas Reception areas and communal spaces, such as restaurants and bars, need wall Tobias Tovera Michelle Gagliano A lobby feature by Michelle Gagliano Next >