Noma, a restaurant that has been named the best in the world four times by World’s 50 Best Restaurants, has moved from the 16th century harborside warehouse it has called home for the past 14 years. Its new abode was built on the site of a protected ex-military warehouse once used to store mines for the Royal Dutch Navy.
Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) as an intimate garden village, the new location dissolves the restaurant’s individual functions into a collection of separate but connected buildings. There are 11 spaces in total, each one tailored to its specific needs, and densely clustered around the kitchen.
Dining room. Photo: Rasmus Hjortshoj.
The kitchen is designed as a panopticon, which allows the chefs to oversee the entire kitchen, the dining room, and the private dining room. The kitchen and guest spaces are made of stacked timber planks meant to look like neatly stacked wood at a timber yard.
See Also: WeWork names BIG’s Ingels as its Chief Architect
Outside, three free-standing glass houses provide the restaurant’s garden, bakery, and test kitchen. The garden is visible to guests via a set of sliding windows. A large skylight helps bring in natural light to the kitchen and various dining spaces. Also included in the new restaurant are a barbeque and a lounge. Guests can explore each space and move between buildings via glass-encased connecting spaces.
Photo: Rasmus Hjortshoj.
BIG preserved the existing warehouses shell and used it for all the back-of-house functions such as the prep kitchen, fermentation labs, fish tanks, ant farms, terrarium, and break-out areas for staff.
Photo: Rasmus Hjortshoj.
“The new noma dissolves the traditional idea of a restaurant into its constituent parts and reassembles them in a way that puts the chefs at the heart of it all,” says Bjarke Ingels, Founding Partner, BIG.
The restaurant provides just under 14,000 sf of space across its 11 buildings.
Entrance. Photo: Rasmus Hjortshoj.
Lounge area. Photo: Rasmus Hjortshoj.
Dining room and kitchen. Photo: Rasmus Hjortshoj.
Private dining room. Photo: Rasmus Hjortshoj.
Greenhouse. Photo: Rasmus Hjortshoj.
Kitchen. Photo: Rasmus Hjortshoj.
Display hallway. Photo: Rasmus Hjortshoj.
Related Stories
Retail Centers | Jul 20, 2017
L.A.’s Promenade at Howard Hughes Center receives a new name and a $30 million cash injection
Laurus Corporation and The Jerde Partnership will team up to rebrand the center as a family-friendly dining and entertainment destination.
Retail Centers | Jul 17, 2017
Subway updates restaurants, brand with fresh design and improved customer experience
FRCH Design Worldwide is leading the redesign that will start with 12 pilot locations across the country.
Retail Centers | Jul 10, 2017
The retail renaissance part II: The role of planning and development in the future of shopping
The retail sector is charting unfamiliar territory as web sales and evolving tastes force a paradigm shift.
Retail Centers | Jun 21, 2017
Creating communities from defunct malls
It’s time to plan for the suburban retail reset—and it starts by rethinking the traditional mall.
Mixed-Use | May 17, 2017
The Lincoln Common development has begun construction in Chicago’s Lincoln Park
The mixed-use project will provide new apartments, condos, a senior living facility, and retail space.
Airports | May 15, 2017
Five trends for airport retail
CallisonRTKL Vice President Kevin Horn pinpoints how travel retail is changing dramatically.
Retail Centers | May 3, 2017
18 Carbon fiber wings grace Foster + Partners-designed Apple Dubai Mall terrace
The store’s large terrace provides views of the Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Fountain.
Retail Centers | May 2, 2017
43,000-sf Chicago Starbucks will be world’s largest
The new branch will be located along Chicago’s Magnificent Mile in a building currently occupied by a Crate & Barrel store.
Healthcare Facilities | Apr 28, 2017
Can healthcare be retail?
Healthcare systems have much to learn from retail. While they have been laser-focused on delivering exceptional patient care on their primary campuses, they face an onslaught of new challenges as they embrace a retail strategy to expand outpatient services and their ambulatory network.
Retail Centers | Apr 27, 2017
Changing an automotive retail paradigm
Significant changes are underway as automotive manufacturers and retailers try to anticipate consumer demands in changes in their business models.
