Bathing Beauty
Concept
The Bathing Beauty is on the line that connects the dunes with the beach. The building becomes an extension of the dunes with a marvelous view over the coastline. The restaurant’s seating area is a transparent volume that has a panoramic view over the beach in 3 directions. With the ascending floor the visual field is brought to it’s maximum.
Behind the seating area is the kitchen and storage, that have a sloped roof which is accessible from the North. The roof is a reference to the dune landscape and has different slopes and angles. Integrated in this roof landscape are a bar and seats, that create a roof terrace with a maximum of sun hours.
The viewing tower is on the North side of the restaurant and encloses the terrace. The tower has a cantilever towards the beach, that brings the observation area in front of the restaurant and allows a view of the entire beach area. The boat storage has a big sliding door towards the terrace, so it can also be used as a seating area.
Sun
The indoor environments are provided with shade from the cantilevered roofs. The terrace has a maximum of sun hours. Any desired shade will be realized by parasols, that are so specific for the beach culture.
Integrated in the terrace is a puddle pool for small children to cool down on hot summer days.
Materialization
The buildings will be constructed from light weight materials like steel and timber. To realize a maintenance free building, the walls roofs and columns are clad with a light green polyurethane.
Winter
To protect the large glass surfaces from vandalism, the roofs have build in screens (roll down shutters), that can be lowered when the building is not in use. The screens are made of unbreakable poly carbonate, and are transparent for the aesthetic quality.
Design: Ramon Knoester
Location: East Midlands, England
Program: Restaurant 60 seats indoor,
terrace, boat house and
life saving observation deck.
M2: 532m2 indoor
Period: 2007