‘Fitting such an aspirational design intent, whilst also delivering a highly commercial retail space into the frame of a commercial office block – built at a time when investment banker shoulder-padded traders drove DeLoreans – required a considered approach,’ Structure Tone Senior Project Manager Nik Quarm tells us. ‘The preconstruction period was spent modelling the architectural elements in the Revit model, as well as the services. This enabled much-needed flexibility to protect Eataly’s design intent despite the complex issues associated with the fit-out, which emerged, and the complexity of interfacing with Eataly’s own global supply chain.
‘The construction strategy retains Eataly’s sense of mystique, with all services pulled as tight as possible to the underside of the slab. By specifying plant and machinery with relatively high power to mass ratios, and cable for its malleability, the services have been kept above the public’s eyeline.’
As Eataly develops, a focal point will no doubt be the bar and restaurant, Terra (open in September), with its marble chamfered counters, blond timbers and acid washed floor tied together with the use of biophilia and simple lighting.
In a city starved of hugs and lunches, Eataly will undoubtedly be a popular space to come together in a post-pandemic London.
Photography: Hufton + Crow
This project is a finalist for Project of the Year, Bar & Leisure Interiors at the Mixology21 Awards.