Duke of York Restaurant, Chelsea

Nex-Architecture for Cadogan
Contract value: £5.2m
GIA: 640m² 
Cost per m²: £8,125

The project contributes to the redevelopment of Duke of York Square and public realm enhancements along King’s Road Chelsea. The restaurant’s contemporary, ribbon like form – from precast concrete and curved glass panels manufactured offsite – continues from the adjacent Saatchi Gallery. Defined by a slender off-white concrete wall, the facade features a colonnade arrangement behind which retractable glazing allows the dining area to extend into the public realm. The unique mechanism operates like a weighted sash window, sliding down into a basement trench with retracting cills. A gently curving staircase leads to a roof garden which is open to the public.

See the rest of the South London shortlist here. And all the RIBA Regional Awards shortlists here.