Completion Date:     3/9/2016

Square Footage:      2248

Building Use:           Restaurant & Lounge

Location:                 34094 Pacific Coast Highway, Dana Point, CA 92629

Project Description:

At only one quarter acre, this high profile project anchors an end of the City’s Town Center revitalization efforts. The constraints of the physical site as well as programmatic requirements helped shape the overall design. With limited vehicular access & 15 feet of grade change, spanning two roadways, the site planning was crucial to the success of the project.

The client’s business plan calls for a restaurant seating over 90 individuals. To accommodate this, a zero lot line concept is utilized to maximize the site---balancing the building footprint, programmatic requirements & parking demands.

In an effort to design an engaging & iconic, yet vernacular building, the building form & massing invites the users at the street level utilizing a butterfly roof with a cantilevered patio covering, suspended above the raised patio. A sliding door system along the raised patio allows the front façade to convey the alluring energy from the interior seating & lounge areas to the passerby. Operable transom windows flank the public space allowing the ocean breezes & daylight to penetrate the interior space. At night, the building adds an luminous glow of activity to its surrounds with assistance from the sculptural, internally-lit, metal tree that anchors the approach off the patio.
In the years to come as you approach the building’s entrance, the more mature green-wall will create an intimate exterior breezeway, before entering the high-vaulted lounge.

Utilizing architectural millwork to produce separation between the interior spaces maximizes the footprint for seating while creating storage solutions that do not impact the open & lofty feel within the bustling lounge & dining areas.
The highest quality materials & finishes were applied in the design from steel window & door systems to reclaimed wood paneling and ipe wood decking.

Behind the scenes, a one-way circulating kitchen, with sliding glass pocket doors, allow for the proprietor to perfect his masterpieces in a small but efficient layout. Customers can catch a glimpse of the creative process through the sugar-window as they enjoy the lounge.

Every aspect of the interior architecture was a collaborative effort, between the Architects, fabricators, and most importantly the end-user/owner, to create such a well-crafted & dynamic space.

C.O.T.E. | Committee on the Environment

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