Hunan Slurp / New Practice Studio

Architects: New Practice Studio
Location: 112 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10009, United States
Design Team: Nianlai Zhong, Tai-li Lee, Sidong Lang, Junchao Yang, Steve Fang, Junrui Wang
Area: 280.0 m2
Project Year: 2018
Photographs: Montse Zamorano

Lighting Design: Junrui Wang
Project Participant: Chao Wang

Text description provided by the architects. For an eatery that features authentic street rice noodle from Hunan, we wanted to create a dining space that engages with the bustling neighborhood of East Village. The space is conceived as a place to look into and look out from. A continuous volume is carved out from the storefront into the interior so a direct dialogue is established between the street and the restaurant.

A group of communal dining table anchors the center of the restaurant and adds to the continuity of the space. The interplay between the white plastered wall and wood screen creates a bright and warm atmosphere. The rhythmic wood screen with fillet corners reinforces the geometry of the space while resembling the rice noodle featured in this restaurant.

The screen sits in front of existing brick walls were carefully designed backlighting adds another layer of subtlety to the space. Founded by Nianlai Zhong (AIA), New Practice Studio is an interdisciplinary collaboration between architects, interior designers, graphic designers and brand strategists based in New York and Shanghai.