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Erth

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Comments
Innovation
Functionality
Creativity
Eco-Social Impact
Total
JURY VOTES
Restaurant
5.65
5.06
5.60
4.85
5.29
Bin Ju
Bin Ju Founder and Chief Design Director at Horizontal Design
3.93
5
4.09
5
4.51
Maja Bernvill
Maja Bernvill Creative Director at Specific Generic
6
4
5
5
5
Stéphane Bernier
Stéphane Bernier Partner and Director of Retail Strategy and Innovation at Ædifica
6
4
5
4
4.75
Marie-Andree Busque
Marie-Andree Busque Director Interior Architecture at Sid Lee Architecture
5
6
5
4
5
Jan Clostermann
Jan Clostermann Founder and Director at CLOU Architects
5
4
5
5
4.75
Constance Guisset
Constance Guisset Founder at Constance Guisset Studio
7
5
6
5
5.75
Sanchit Arora
Sanchit Arora Principal Architect at Renesa Studio
8
6
7
5
6.5
Adi Utama
Adi Utama Global Office Development at JetBrains
6
6
6
5
5.75
Islam El Mashtooly
Islam El Mashtooly Creative Director at OBMI
5
6
6
5
5.5
Justine Fox
Justine Fox Founder and Colour Specialist at Studio Justine Fox
5
5
6.29
5
5.32
Marie Hesseldahl
Marie Hesseldahl Partner and Head of Interior and Product Design at 3xn
5
4
6
5
5
Jason Chan
Jason Chan Founder at Jason Design Group
6.5
5.78
6.4
5
5.92
Liyun Hao
Liyun Hao Founder and Design Director at EVD
5
5
5
5
5
Designer
Client
Amit Arora
Floor area
275 ㎡
Completion
2022
Social Media
Instagram
Lighting
Lighting
Furniture
Furniture
Furniture
Furniture
Finishes
Finishes
Accessories

Erth is an immersive dining experience of Emirati Cuisine located in Qasr Al Hosn. It pays homage to the humility and generosity of old Emirati culinary and cultural practices. Emirati cooking processes played a significant role in influencing the design direction of the space as it helped reinterpret the conventional restaurant typology into one that accommodates for the dynamic nature of Emirati cooking.

The approach was to create a space that celebrates cooking as a performance and the restaurant’s eclectic take on traditional Emirati cooking. The kitchen is introduced into the space as a volume with pockets revealing the workings of the kitchen and framing moments of food preparation. The intention behind the dining area was to revisit the traditional majlis seating and reintroduce it in an elevated dining context. Spaces are carved out of a raised floor to contain seating areas, creating an experience reminiscent of the old majlis seating typology.

Given the approach to tie the space back to the origins of Emirati culture, the choice of materials celebrates the natural and the raw. The material intervention remained minimal by maintaining the site’s original concrete skeleton in the interior. The raised floor was treated as a thickened slab finished with natural clay from which seating spaces were carved out of. The kitchen volume was made with acid washed steel and natural cut travertine; further enhancing the raw approach of composing the space. Softer elements such as fabric and plants were utilized to augment the intimacy of the space by creating areas of enclosure.

Floor Seating: Revisited
The intention behind the dining area was to revisit the traditional majlis seating and reintroduce it in an elevated dining context. The space features sunken seating area reminiscent of the majlis seating. They vary in size and topography to accommodate different numbers of visitors. Furniture can be shifted and moved for their flexible placement. This flexibility allows small and large groups of people to make use of the private pockets of seating arrangements.

A Peek into the Kitchen:
The approach was to create a space that celebrates cooking as a performance and the restaurant's eclectic take on traditional Emirati cooking. The kitchen is introduced into the space as a volume with pockets revealing the workings of the kitchen and framing moments of food preparation such as the baking of tanoor bread, the cooking of rgag bread, and the preparation of traditional Emirati coffee. More importantly, the volume features an exhibit of essential spices and ingredients, hence foregrounding elements that make up the restaurants’ menu.