CASE STUDY
BRASSERIE
RESTAURANT
SEAGRAM BUILDING, NEW YORK, 2000
100 E 53rd St, New York, NY, USA
BY: DILLER SCOFIDIO + RENFRO
CIRCULATION
The Brasserie renovation by Diller Scofidio + Renfro located in New York City envisioned an entirely different life than the restaurant’s previous interior. As it is located inside the modernist Seagram Building, the circulation within the restaurant is similarly clean and smooth. The entrance plays an important role in creating a spectacle of guests, as they enter and are immediately led down the path of a long and gradual staircase into the center of the restaurant. This deliberate descent creates an intimacy within the enclosed space, as the restaurant is not visible from street level. The circulation model created has stripped down ‘dead spaces’ of corners and smaller ‘behind-the-scenes’ pathways, in order to highlight the broader movements in the space. While the general circulation enables movement for staff, the geometrical seating arrangements provides privacy for dining guests.
PARTI
In creating the parti model, materials of The Brasserie is used to convey the gesture. The contrast between the darker and warmer wooden tone of the ‘shell’ is juxtaposed against the reflectivity of glass. The aspects of activity and space, (non-physical and physical), also determines the division of materials. Although the essential structure has been defined, it is the role of people that truly determines the boundaries of and within the model. While wood is opaque and hints at something more substantial and concrete, the translucency of glass is visually lighter and provides a sense of transience – the screens above the bar area display temporary photographs of incoming guests.
POCHÉ
The model uses materials of the same colour to emphasize the contrasting thicknesses of the poche. Transitions within the space are explored by a close up interpretation of the entrance area through a curtain, and the descent into the restaurant. The perimeter outlining the foundation of the restaurant is modeled in plaster, giving a sense of grounded support. Whimsical fabric signifies the curtain, and plays with the notion of visibility in poche. A portion of the wooden shell encompassing the dining room is represented by frosted acrylic. Plaster, textile, and acrylic are juxtaposed to form a relationship dividing up the restaurant’s interior, while creating a unique experience for guests. The translucency combined with the rendered thicknesses of the materials represents the three distinct transitions one makes upon entering The Brasserie.
SIGHT LINES
The sight lines in this model are depicted as a correlation between time, motion, and vision. Similar to sonar systems, each ‘cone of vision’ roughly maps out a focused point of clarity, followed by the emitting ‘pulses’ in a general direction. The length of the cone is accounted for by the variable of time; it is determined by how long a person would spend in a certain location. Key visual cues in the space, such as monitor screens and the main staircase, are intriguing highlights where diners’ gazes often return. Piano wire denotes the general line of vision, while the size and number of clear acetate panels represent the scope of vision and time spent, respectively.
DETAIL
As one’s gaze returns to the silver monitors lining the wall, a fleeting moment is captured. The lone bar stool depicts a single person’s experience, and the brief periods of being alone. However, the person still watches other people. Facing directly at the monitors hung overhead, a brightly lit wall from behind illuminates the myriad of wines on display. The ‘show’ begins as new guests enter the restaurant – visible from the monitors – and descend the staircase right behind the seated guest at the bar. The acrylic panel showcases the luminescence of the wall, while stainless steel depicts the silver cabinets and monitors placed in front. The white and gray marble floor further enhances the sleekness and reflective glow from the bar area, in contrast with the rest of the restaurant.