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GOHO Kaiseki & Bar

OWIU

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The team generated nearly 50 iterations of the logo before landing on five irregular petals that converge into a central point. - Finbarr Fallon
An L-shaped built-in with seating for up to five diners sits in the corner facing the staircase. - Finbarr Fallon
The architects arranged the decorative objects to transform the space’s energy using the Japanese practice of shitsurai. - Finbarr Fallon
The team generated nearly 50 iterations of the logo before landing on five irregular petals that converge into a central point. - Finbarr Fallon

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Comments
Innovation
Functionality
Creativity
Eco-Social Impact
Total
JURY VOTES
Restaurant
5.66
6.37
6.12
5.55
5.92
Jaime Velez
Jaime Velez Design Partner at Velez + Valencia Arquitectos
4.38
6.31
4.45
4.67
4.95
Andres Fredes
Andres Fredes Creative Director / Partner at ALLDSGN
5
6
5
4
5
Maria Messina
Maria Messina Creative Director and Design Architect at FAAB
Subtle, poetic, delicate and timele...
7
8
9
8
8
Carolin Krebber
Carolin Krebber Founder at Büro agata/ Co-founder Format F/ allmannwappner
5.02
6.1
6.1
5
5.56
Philippe Paré
Philippe Paré Principal and Managing Director at Gensler
5.21
6.74
6.36
5.12
5.86
Yen Kien Hang
Yen Kien Hang Founder / Design Writer / Author at OutOfThePackage
Post pandemic, is cramming so many...
5
6
5
6
5.5
Jason Su
Jason Su Design Director at HCD Impress
4.81
5
4.95
4.88
4.91
Firas Alsahin
Firas Alsahin Co-Founder and Design Director at 4SPACE Design
6
6
6
6
6
Elise Zoetmulder
Elise Zoetmulder Founder at Zoetmulder
5
6
5.5
5
5.38
Ayça Doğan
Ayça Doğan Head of Design at CBRE Netherlands
7
7.5
7.8
6
7.08
Lin Chen
Lin Chen Founding Partner at Topos Design
5
6.5
6
5
5.63
Evans Lee
Evans Lee Founder & Design Director at Evans Lee Designers
4.8
5
4.5
5
4.83
Toni Black
Toni Black Interior Director at Blacksheep
Clever transformation from day to...
7
6
7
5
6.25
Kristen Becker
Kristen Becker Partner at Mutuus Studio
8
8
8
8
8
Designer
Client
Proper Concepts
Floor area
114 ㎡
Completion
2022
Social Media
Instagram
Furniture
Accessories

GOHO Kaiseki & Bar is housed on the second floor of a conservation shophouse in Singapore. Los Angeles and Singapore-based architecture firm OWIU’s adaptive reuse of the building balances the new owner’s vision – a rule-breaking, high-energy kaiseki – while honoring the shophouse’s heritage. Dating back to the 1800s, the building’s narrow face, long length, and centrally placed timber staircase presented a number of spatial challenges. 

Thus, OWIU opted to make the bar the focal point, creating an 11-meter island that extends to the end of the restaurant. The bar, constructed from Verdi Alpi green marble, offers seating for 17 diners (out of 55 total covers). Further maximizing space, OWIU constructed an L-shaped built-in with seating for up to five diners in the corner facing the staircase. 

To avoid a claustrophobic feel, staff and guest circulation areas were merged to encourage interactivity, and custom booths were created throughout to hold storage. OWIU applied a part-to-whole strategy where eclectic components come together to create a robust whole, counteracting any potential feelings of confinement. To unify the space, the team implemented a desaturated palette. Washed-out grey paint was applied with a plaster effect to accentuate the raw textures and dark walnut tones were used for the carpentry (the green from the marble countertop is the only color used throughout). Sitting on top of the marble is a chengal wood slab that OWIU salvaged from a nearby house fire, further charring it with the Japanese Shou Sugi Ban technique. 

The bar was transformed into two distinct areas by creating a bright, neon-lit space for dining juxtaposed by an alabaster backlit bar at the end of the island. Custom, floor-to-ceiling shelving was built to hold a display using the Japanese practice of shitsurai – a concept that seeks to transform energy using decorative objects. After sourcing artifacts from Japan, the architects arranged the objects to function in an applicative sense, sculpting two spaces from one. OWIU also created custom ceramics for the shelves under its ceramics arm, OWIU Goods.

 Like kaiseki, which is dictated by the seasons, the vessels display flowers that change with the seasonal menu. A 4x8-meter neon installation, commissioned to Charlotte Puxley, fills the double-volume void and reflects the restaurant’s logo. The recurring logo is composed of five petals that represent the five Japanese cooking methods known as Goho. The installation geometrically distorts the flat ceiling and changes colors with the time of day and seasons, reflecting the seasonal rotation at the heart of kaiseki. This dynamic light allows patrons to participate with the space as it moves from day to night, resulting in a dining experience unique to its time and place.