The curving windows of a spiral café with a rooftop garden in Chelsea, London, that was designed by the architecture company NEX have the ability to completely retract when the weather is nice.
The windows of the Cadogan Cafe may be retracted into the base of the building, which enables the dining area to extend out onto the area immediately around the cafe.
The café can be found in Duke of York Square, next to the Saatchi Gallery on King’s Road. It is encased in a narrow arcade that is constructed out of concrete panels that are 15 centimetres thick.
To reduce the size of the windows and fit them into a subterranean channel, the retractable, curved glass components employ a chain system similar to that of a sash window.
You have the option of having these windows lie completely flush with the ground on the lower level of the square or partly lowered to provide a glass balustrade across the inside.
The spiral shape of the Cadogan Cafe was built using a handmade metal frame, and it was designed to resemble a section of a Grade II-listed wall from a military building that had previously occupied the site.
Engineers at AKT II develop a body for NEX without any horizontal mullions since the client requested it.
Eureka Pavilion by NEX and Marcus Barnett
The off-white walls curve inward to form a concrete core that echoes the arcaded design of the outside wall and provides space for a lift.
In order to emphasise the spiral nature of the structure, the ceiling of the Cadogan Cafe is lined with ash hardwood slats, and the sitting areas are curved to refer to the arched kinds of the building.
At the most outside point of the spiral, there is a stairway that goes up to a roof garden that is located above the restaurant. This garden is open to the public regardless of where they are located inside the restaurant.
The studio claimed that “This garden is a nice ‘present’ to the neighbourhood where people may relax or spend time amid the canopies of surrounding trees.” The garden is lifted up from the hustle and bustle of the bustling plaza and road below.
In addition to being placed throughout its perimeter, the spiral has large planters that are embedded into its projecting core.
Decking made of wood, chairs, and lights outside combine to create an inviting space that can be used at any time of the day or night.
Alan Dempsey established NEX Architecture in 2009, and in 2012, Malcom Reading Consultant selected the firm to design the Cadogan Café after it prevailed in a competition that had been organised by Malcom Reading Consultant.
Previous endeavours undertaken by the organisation include the creation of a wood pavilion for the 2011 Chelsea Flower Show, which was inspired by the design of a leaf.
Photography is by James Brittain.
Project credit:
Client: Cadogan Estates
Architect: Nex
Landscape Architect: Bradley Hole Schoenach BHSLA
Project supervisor: Capital and Provincial
Cost marketing consultant: Equals Consulting, TTPP
Structural engineer: AKTII
MEP engineer: E&M Tecnica
Lighting: DHA Design
Planning marketing consultant: Gerald Eve
Principal designer: Nex
Contractors: Westgreen