Vegetarian Restaurant Prototype
New York, New York
2009
1,000 square feet

SAS was selected to submit a proposal for a new to-go vegetarian cafeteria launching its brand in New York City, with plans for expansion to other states and countries. Our proposal outlined a 20’x50’x12’ spatial prototype that would be LEED certified and quickly constructed.

The design called for a straightforward space with an open kitchen viewable from the seating area, making use of environmentally sustainable construction methods and materials. Construction was made more efficient by ganging all utilities along one wall of the space while the majority of partitions, counters, seating, and display were built off-site as architectural millwork. This allowed the build-out of the space to take place while other components were fabricated simultaneously off-site. Expanding on the idea of the store as a prototype, we imagined that millwork and flooring would change depending on the locally abundant wood and stone products of a given region. As well, wood for the millwork would be oiled rather than synthetically treated, and stone for the floors would be custom cut and laid without grout on a sand bed. Lighting would be dramatic and precise, allowing the use of lower wattage LED lamps, task-specific lighting, and color.