Noma, a restaurant that has been named the best in the world four times by World’s 50 Best Restaurants, has moved from the 16th century harborside warehouse it has called home for the past 14 years. Its new abode was built on the site of a protected ex-military warehouse once used to store mines for the Royal Dutch Navy.
Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) as an intimate garden village, the new location dissolves the restaurant’s individual functions into a collection of separate but connected buildings. There are 11 spaces in total, each one tailored to its specific needs, and densely clustered around the kitchen.
Dining room. Photo: Rasmus Hjortshoj.
The kitchen is designed as a panopticon, which allows the chefs to oversee the entire kitchen, the dining room, and the private dining room. The kitchen and guest spaces are made of stacked timber planks meant to look like neatly stacked wood at a timber yard.
See Also: WeWork names BIG’s Ingels as its Chief Architect
Outside, three free-standing glass houses provide the restaurant’s garden, bakery, and test kitchen. The garden is visible to guests via a set of sliding windows. A large skylight helps bring in natural light to the kitchen and various dining spaces. Also included in the new restaurant are a barbeque and a lounge. Guests can explore each space and move between buildings via glass-encased connecting spaces.
Photo: Rasmus Hjortshoj.
BIG preserved the existing warehouses shell and used it for all the back-of-house functions such as the prep kitchen, fermentation labs, fish tanks, ant farms, terrarium, and break-out areas for staff.
Photo: Rasmus Hjortshoj.
“The new noma dissolves the traditional idea of a restaurant into its constituent parts and reassembles them in a way that puts the chefs at the heart of it all,” says Bjarke Ingels, Founding Partner, BIG.
The restaurant provides just under 14,000 sf of space across its 11 buildings.
Entrance. Photo: Rasmus Hjortshoj.
Lounge area. Photo: Rasmus Hjortshoj.
Dining room and kitchen. Photo: Rasmus Hjortshoj.
Private dining room. Photo: Rasmus Hjortshoj.
Greenhouse. Photo: Rasmus Hjortshoj.
Kitchen. Photo: Rasmus Hjortshoj.
Display hallway. Photo: Rasmus Hjortshoj.
Related Stories
Urban Planning | May 28, 2024
‘Flowing’ design emphasizes interaction at Bellevue, Wash., development
The three-tower 1,030,000-sf office and retail development designed by Graphite Design Group in collaboration with Compton Design Office for Vulcan Real Estate is attracting some of the world’s largest names in tech and hospitality.
Mixed-Use | May 22, 2024
Multifamily properties above ground-floor grocers continue to see positive rental premiums
Optimizing land usage is becoming an even bigger priority for developers. In some city centers, many large grocery stores sprawl across valuable land.
Retail Centers | May 3, 2024
Outside Las Vegas, two unused office buildings will be turned into an open-air retail development
In Henderson, Nev., a city roughly 15 miles southeast of Las Vegas, 100,000 sf of unused office space will be turned into an open-air retail development called The Cliff. The $30 million adaptive reuse development will convert the site’s two office buildings into a destination for retail stores, chef-driven restaurants, and community entertainment.
Mixed-Use | Apr 23, 2024
A sports entertainment district is approved for downtown Orlando
This $500 million mixed-use development will take up nearly nine blocks.
Mixed-Use | Apr 9, 2024
A surging master-planned community in Utah gets its own entertainment district
Since its construction began two decades ago, Daybreak, the 4,100-acre master-planned community in South Jordan, Utah, has been a catalyst and model for regional growth. The latest addition is a 200-acre mixed-use entertainment district that will serve as a walkable and bikeable neighborhood within the community, anchored by a minor-league baseball park and a cinema/entertainment complex.
Retail Centers | Apr 4, 2024
Retail design trends: Consumers are looking for wellness in where they shop
Consumers are making lifestyle choices with wellness in mind, which ignites in them a feeling of purpose and a sense of motivation. That’s the conclusion that the architecture and design firm MG2 draws from a survey of 1,182 U.S. adult consumers the firm conducted last December about retail design and what consumers want in healthier shopping experiences.
Mixed-Use | Apr 4, 2024
Sustainable mixed-use districts: Crafting urban communities
As a part of the revitalization of a Seattle neighborhood, Graphite Design Group designed a sustainable mixed-use community that exemplifies resource conversation, transportation synergies, and long-term flexibility.
Construction Costs | Mar 15, 2024
Retail center construction costs for 2024
Data from Gordian shows the most recent costs per square foot for restaurants, social clubs, one-story department stores, retail stores and movie theaters in select cities.
Shopping Centers | Mar 7, 2024
How shopping centers can foster strong community connections
In today's retail landscape, shopping centers are evolving beyond mere shopping destinations to become vibrant hubs of community life. Here are three strategies from Nadel Architecture + Planning for creating strong local connections.
Shopping Centers | Feb 6, 2024
The future of grocery store design: It may be time for the checkout aisle to check out
For grocers, the checkout aisle is one of the greatest sources of customer complaints and shrink, which directly affects their bottom line.
