#COMMERCIAL ARCHITECTURE PROJECTS
Daewha Kang design tops the OWO café-bar pavilion in london with a rippling metal roof
THE OWO WELCOMES A GRAND COURTYARD AND PAVILION IN LONDON
Opening on Friday, September 29th, 2023, The OWO (former Old War Office) in Whitehall, London, has undergone a monumental transformation and will be home to nine destination restaurants and three bars, a 120-room Raffles London Hotel, and 85 Raffles branded residences. Its uplifted look is signed by DaeWha Kang Design (DKD), revealing a Grand Courtyard that welcomes visitors into The OWO complex and a sculptural Pavilion, home to a bar and dining space for Moma Group’s Parisien restaurant Café Lapérouse. Considering its historical context, housing a 20th-century William Young building, the Pavilion’s rippling metal design brings dynamism to the heavy formal architecture, creating an oasis of life and activity within Whitehall. At the same time, the reflective metal roof achieves a mirage effect, reducing visual intrusiveness on the surroundings.
CIRCULAR GLASS FACADE CROWNED WITH A STAINLESS STEEL ROOF
DaeWha Kang Design (see more here) resorted to stainless steel panels for the roof structure and wrapped the circular facades with finely crafted glass, endowing The OWO café-bar pavilion (more here) with a sleek and porous aesthetic, inviting a two-way dynamic between passersby and diners. A sculptural skylight marks the center of the roof, allowing natural light to flood the interior unified under finely crafted plaster. According to the architect, the concept recalls the feeling of being inside a Georgia O’Keefe painting, with softly ribbed white columns developing into petals that radiate to form the entire ceiling, providing a charming backdrop for the Café Lapérouse designed by the renowned Cordelia de Castellane.
DAEWHA KANG DESIGN LOOKS TO DURABILITY, DISASSEMBLY & YIN-YANG
Although materials in this project were selected for their long-term durability, the design was also created with disassembly and afterlife in mind. The entire structure is prefabricated and can be quickly taken apart for maintenance and replacement, and could even be entirely relocated in the future if needed. The metalwork is finished with Aston Martin paint, giving the nod back to the James Bond link with the building. The studio also created a five-meter-wide sculptural fountain in the Grand Courtyard of the complex, providing the yin to the yang of the pavilion through the interplay of a natural water body and reflected metal waves, a captivating sight for The OWO visitors.
Finally, the existing courtyard cobblestones, on which Winston Churchill and T.E Lawrence, aka Lawrence of Arabia, once walked when heading to work each day, have been carefully preserved and re-laid into a contemporary pattern — echoing the shimmering, petal-inspired roof of the café-bar. Dutch-based firm Octatube collaborated with the architecture firm on crafting the pavilion structure, jointly with London-based Arup, who provided its expertise in engineering, acoustics, lighting, and sustainability.
