Hiro Bay

Authors’ Comment

Located on the bank of Lake Herastrau, the main access to the waterfront restaurant is from the northern promenade of the park. From the outside, the free structure allows the visual overlap of the water plane, seen among the minor arches, with the silhouette of the marine animal, the main object, defining the identity and position of the central bar. The Hiro restaurant project proposes a holistic approach to the design theme, transiting the boundaries between the imaginary object and the real object.
The ropes, the retractable canopy, the major glued laminated arches outline the image of a destructured ship, concealing an inversion between sky and water. The naval skeleton is materialized into architecture through the genuine reinterpretation of naval typologies in the interventions over a water dominated setting. The beams divide the serving area, treated in two manners, depending on the layout of the bar and the panoramic potential. Along the long, lake-facing sides lie a series of self-operated circular platforms. These rotating plates have the role of putting the visitor in a new perspective, being able to relate differently to both the bar and the lake. The adaptability of the directions of gaze enhances the complexity of the anatomy of the architectural project, the integrated mechanical component reinterpreting lever systems specific to a ship. This trademark of the serving area concept is suggested by the details of the jagged wheels and the morphology of the main object, suspended in the center of the restaurant space; the aquatic creature. It becomes a miniature representation of the entire architectural object. Two bays, bearing the north-western extremity’s covering, rise over the cooking area. Unlike the serving area, the kitchen and other related spaces are enclosed in wooden panels, shaped by the image of fish scales. On the other hand, the opposite limit has a net-like closure on the short side, foreshadowing the frame of the scene. In the center of the structure is the bar that has above it a creature from a fantastic story named Hiro.
The theme of the central bar, the creature Hiro, born in the deep waters of the ocean, was a source of luck and hope for sailors shipwrecked at sea. Known as a peaceful creature, the extraordinary appearance was felt especially when the shipwrecked were caught in the nets of mermaids. In fact, she was the only creature the water nymphs feared. Under the model of the sea creature, this mythical sketch is synthesized in the image of the bar by using natural wood scales, integrated in a variety of shapes, shades and materials. These are complemented by brass elements, which come to life in a coherent and living organization of the interior space. The oval shape and unique design evoke images from the fantastic universe of Jules Verne's writings. Through indirect lights, the finish of the bar gives you the impression of a moving creature that makes the whole atmosphere vibrant through reflections and contrasts.