Belgo South

Belgo is an international chain of restaurants that serve Belgian food: mussels, fries, and beer: their main thematic line is Belgian culture. The strategy of our design is based on playing with these themes; we tried to explore their formal, structural, and organizational potential, moving beyond their usual kitschy interpretations. Clams, velodromes, stomachs, entrails, beer barrels, medieval vaults, stained glass, Breughel, and Bosch have become formative references.
Belgo Zuid is located in a former dance hall and theater in the Notting Hill Gate area of London. Part of the existing building had to be demolished due to its poor condition and was replaced by a new construction better suited to the new function: the main dining area received new walls and a roof. The roof features a complex geometric structure emerging from the requirements for natural lighting and preserving views from the surrounding buildings. Three elongated slits in the ceiling allow daylight to enter the dining area. The walls and roof visually form a single unit, clad in stainless steel and lined inside with oak wood. On the northern side of the restaurant, we left the arch separating the former proscenium, thus emphasizing the kitchen and bar space. The kitchen surfaces are made of stainless steel, illuminated by red neon, while the bar above glows with azure blue light - like a representation of hell and heaven in a medieval diptych. The entrance opens into a 3-meter wide and 20-meter long hallway, which is clad in beer bottles and leads into the main dining area. On the facade, which is three meters wide and over four stories high, there is a 12-meter tall rotating advertisement - the Belgo sign.