Åkulla, Gothenburg, Sweden
“It’s not enough to cook great food – the staging of the food, whether it’s the architecture, the nature that surrounds you, or the plate you eat from. Whether it’s the smell of the room or the acoustics – they are all just as important for your experience of the food as the dish itself,” states Norm Architects.
Norm Architects together with Keiji Ashizawa have designed a strikingly new variation of the glasshouse to house the Swedish Michelin star Äng Restaurang that synthesizes the tenets of Scandinavian and Japanese design in the middle of a meadow inside the Ästad Vingård.
The East-West collaboration for this design also reinterprets the classic barn, but in a more eclectic design fashion.
Äng Restaurang’s premises are a combination of a sensory experience centered around a sensorial experience of food, striking a balance between rural and local, refined and elevated.
The all-glass facades of the greenhouse allow for sunlight as well as the feeling of being in the Swedish landscape to enter the premises.
The building allows scenic views to define the dining experience that takes place within it.
The pristine glass exterior creates a warm atmosphere as natural light floods the restaurant’s lounge and dining area throughout the day.
This rural and wild feeling is mirrored in the architect’s choice of materials, which includes pure oak for bespoke furniture and canvas wall panels.
Divided into two areas, the building’s ground floor boasts high ceilings and a serene bar and lounge area.
The dining area, the wine lounge, and the wine cellar are located in the basement as an interplay of vernacular and contemporary aesthetics.
Using natural materials throughout the space was a very important point to the restaurant owners and Norm Architects has selected a natural material palette that elevates inspiration from the rural site.
Project: Äng Restaurang
Architects: Norm Architects Inc. and Keiji Ashizawa Design Co., Ltd
Client: Åstad Vingård, Restaurang ÄNG
Photographers: Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen