In , restaurant Noma known as the Worlds Best Restaurant- closed its doors to the th century warehouse that had been its home for fourteen years. After more than three years of planning and collaboration, Noma reopened in on the outskirts of autonomous district Christiania this time at the protected site of an old fortification once used to store mines for the Royal Danish Navy.
The JRC building is positioned diagonally across the site connecting it to the ‘Jardin Americano’ river-front and the Torre Sevilla market in a seamless continuous public space. Placing the building diagonally also creates a new public square on one side of the building and a private garden for the JRC community on the other. The floorplates of the research center step back as the building ascends, creating a series of terraces, shaded outdoor spaces for breakouts, relaxation, and informal meetings with views of the city.
Arriving passengers are guided towards the hub of Dock A which is split across seven floors which are visually connected through the generous light-filled atrium. Passenger flows are funneled through the atrium that connects all floors via stairs, escalators and elevators from the underground immigration hall to all arrival and departure levels, and the lounges on the top floors of the central hub.
The façade is composed almost entirely of , prefabricated concrete panels interspersed with windows of various sizes to control the amount of light entering inside and to create a sense of transparency. The concrete slabs, which weigh up to . tons, are sandblasted to expose its raw qualities and to texture the surface with the local sandstone of Bordeaux. Yellow granules for brightness and warmth radiate the building in the sun and help integrate MÉCA as a familiar yet new vernacular sight to the city.
BIG NYC has called Dumbo home since . The , sq ft full floor office wraps around an interior courtyard and houses nearly BIGsters. BIGs interior design team led a complete renovation of the space over six months: interior walls were removed to accommodate the open-plan design, which includes ample room for an architectural model workshop, an exhibition hallway, meeting rooms, a canteen, a library and recreational space.