Text description from the architects. Esca Cueva is an innovative restaurant design that redefines the dining experience. This project aims to create a space that is closely connected to nature and blurs the lines between architecture and organic forms. Taking inspiration from the complex beauty of the female body, Cueva translates our organic form and its curves into a streamlined design that creates a unique and inviting space. The result is an environment that reflects the complex elegance of the body while prioritizing comfort and practicality for its occupants. The final design achieves a holistic impact, seamlessly blending into and transforming the restaurant’s previously rigid Cartesian layout. This sculpted space blurs the lines between the user and their environment. Organic shapes throughout the design evoke a sense of visual calm with indentations, folds, and strategically placed artificial lighting.
Nominated for the Restaurant and Bar Design Awards and featured in AD Middle East, the project is a testament to the transformative power of architecture. Experiencing the first reaction of guests upon entering the restaurant and observing how the design demonstrably changes their behavior, disconnecting them from the outside world and stimulating their curiosity across all senses is truly fascinating. It embodies originality and powerfully demonstrates the transformative potential of architecture on human behavior and physical experience.
Advanced 3D technology and software were used to achieve this vision, cycling through various computer programs to capture the desired organic form. We drew parallels to the natural world and then incorporated folds and textures reminiscent of weathering into the design. The latest production methods were then used to bring this from a digital 3D model to reality, bridging the gap between the digital and physical worlds. The form’s ‘exoskeleton’ became the blueprint for the steel infrastructure, which was assembled by local, skilled craftsmen and then finished with layers of stucco. Through constant communication and a deep understanding of material constraints, we emphasized a smooth transition from design to construction. By anticipating challenges, we minimized the need for major on-site adjustments.
