A restaurant should communicate the story of its food, and for its guests create a metaphorical journey alongside a physical one: how one enters into, moves through, perceives, and experiences space.
In China, differences are perceptible between its north and south: in climate, landscape, language, and cuisine. For this Cantonese restaurant in Beijing, elements of Lingnan architecture from the south provide the design foundations, connecting both menu and space to place of origin.
Countering the restaurants basement location, spatial experience is created through utilising characteristic elements from this Lingnan architecture: gateway, alleyway, and porch; courtyard, and threshold. Circadian lighting from ceilings and interior gardens enables the atmosphere of the restaurant to flow and adjust through day, to evening, and on into the night.
