Duke of York Restaurant \ Vardo

King's Road, London, United Kingdom

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Duke of York Restaurant \ Vardo

King's Road, London, United Kingdom

Firm

Nex—

Type

Commercial ›
Hospitality + Sport › Restaurant
Landscape + Planning › Public Park

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2020

SIZE

5000 sqft - 10,000 sqft

The Restaurant occupies a landmark position in Chelsea’s bustling Duke of York Square, providing a new leisure venue and enhancing the public realm along the King’s Road in London.

The building’s spiralling form references the adjacent Listed wall of the Saatchi Gallery. Above, a public roof garden offers a peaceful retreat from the streetscape.

Thoughtfully responding to the adjacent listed brick wall, the slender off-white concrete wall spirals around itself to form a refined colonnade. Set behind are descending glass walls that can open-up the ground floor space to allow the restaurant to spill onto the surrounding Square.

The facade is the first retractable curved glass system in the world. Intensive R+D enabled the large structurally glazed panels to silently glide down into a basement trench. Alongside a private dining room, the kitchen and other back of house services are also tucked away in the basement.

The project makes a valuable addition to the neighbourhood’s public realm. A curving external stair leads to a timber-decked roof garden above the restaurant. Open freely to the public this garden is a place to sit and relax. Intensive planting promotes biodiversity and encourages people to spend time among green tree canopies.

The building achieves a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ sustainability rating. The envelope has high insulation values, while a bespoke glazing achieves exceptional airtightness. Air-source heat pumps heat and cool the interior, while the basement uses a heat recovery ventilation system. All lights are long-lived, low-energy LEDs.

The recent Covid 19 pandemic has spotlighted the desire for healthier buildings and enhanced indoor ventilation. The dynamic façade, which offers the potential to convert the interior at the flick of a switch to a covered alfresco dining experience, highlights the benefits of natural ventilation and has meant the business has continued to attract customers through challenging times.