The restaurant is a radical refresh of an existing eatery on the campus of the automobile manufacturer Volkswagen. At the center of the space is the theatrical preparation of food on a grill - and an open brick fireplace is positioned where everyone can see it, recalling the power of an archaic fire at the center of a shared dining experience. The new design offers two different dining rooms for different kinds of atmospheres: a joyful social area in the front that overlooks an outdoor terrace and an elegant private area in the rear where small groups can gather for celebrations or more confidential meals.

Innovation: The concept of the project is to harness the archaic within the technological: cooking with fire is as old as our species, but to do it within a large modern structure - with lots of other uses - combines the most ancient techniques with the contemporary. The simple and ancient idea is to cook and eat with fire and salt – but to do so safely, within an existing technological infrastructure, with the most current culinary, exhaust, and safety standards.

Creativity: The theme of the chef’s menu is “Fire + Salt” so, in the design, building materials are used that are similarly formed from this theme. The open part of the kitchen is made from brick – fired earth. This hearth is made from a composition of three kinds of fired brick – glazed and unglazed in different formats. Salt is also used as a building material. A large block of solid salt sits on the brick plinth as a table for display and dining tables and the reception desk are made from woods that literally have been salted to introduce unique colors, patterns, and textures to the wood.

Functionality: At the heart of the restaurant is the open kitchen grill; all the food offerings are prepared on a grill – not just the namesake beef, but also a wide offering of vegetables. The planning reinforces the main idea – to gather around the fire – so the grill is at the center of the restaurant, visible immediately upon entry, and everyone shares a view and experience of the fire from their table. Color is also used to structure the function and ambiance of the space – bright rich colors create scale and coziness to the large room – and in the back, the light and colors are richer, deeper, for a more elegant atmosphere.

Sustainability: Not only are the architectural materials made from organic and natural source material – fired terra cotta bricks, salted treatments on wood surfaces, solid salt blocks, timber furniture – but the new restaurant radically reused as much building material as possible from the existing space to limit demolition – floors, walls, lighting, technical installations. The project is also importantly socially sustainable – the restaurant used to be uniformly “elegant” – but the new, bright, open dining room has been deliberately redesigned to become more welcoming and attractive to the community of Wolfsburg, inviting the community into the campus.