RamienGo

Landstrasser Haupt Street, Landstraße, Vienna, Austria

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RamienGo

Landstrasser Haupt Street, Landstraße, Vienna, Austria

YEAR

2012

RamienGo is a restaurant in Vienna's new Wien Mitte train station and
shopping center. It is the latest outlet of the well known Ramien group,
famous for their contemporary approach to Souteast Asian and Chinese
cuisine. The restaurant occupies part of a larger food court on the
first floor of the shopping center. It features a hanging ceiling
installation composed of 466 aluminum tubes. Each aluminum tube
represents a distinct curve. The 3D, free form bends were fabricated
off-site with CNC tube bending machines specifically fitted for this
project. The tubes are powder-coated and capped with a round end. They
are attached to a steel beam that hangs from the concrete slab,
spanning a total length of 33 meters. The steel beam acts a structural
'spine' for the aluminum tubes and bends in relation to the overall
shape. At one end, the spine flips, bends down and warps around a thick
concrete column, torquing the aluminum tubes nearly 90 degrees, and in
the process, opening the shape to passersby. The shape and color of the
ceiling pays homage to the existing design identity of the Ramien
restaurants. It is also the outcome of a larger design process that
began as a prototype study (see RamienD).
However, what started as a prototype also had to adapt to a very
specific site. A key aspect of the design is the way the geometry is
expressed. Rather than render the shape a seamless shell, it was
important to expose the structural components and the mode of
fabrication. The shape is not only an eye-catcher in an environment
where the senses are overloaded with other stimuli, but it also provides
a porous enclosure that separates the restaurant from the rest of the
noise. Above the tubes, the ductwork is purposely left exposed. Spot
lighting is attached to the steel spine. Below the tubes, the restaurant
is delineated be a grey poured epoxy floor and a shallow steel
railing. Structural concrete is left exposed. The kitchen is a
functional stainless steel block. The furnishings are a combination of
Corian table tops, wooden benches, and bleached wooden chairs.