Text description provided by the architects. The Hard Rock Cafe in Bangkok marks a new approach for the venerable Hard Rock brand. Designers Architectkidd and Prinda Puranananda have completed the new restaurant in the Siam Square district of Bangkok with focus on connecting music and architecture. The starting point of the project were the shapes, rhythms and structures of sound. Their interpretation to physical forms and materials in the new design was the result of a creative collaboration that combined a variety of disciplines from design to branding, furniture and street art.
This approach is expressed in the design of the building facade. By studying the forms of music and sound, the Architectkidd team visualized waveforms that became the starting point for the facade design. The results are materialized in a curved cantilever steel structure with reflective black panels that aim to create a more “tactile” presence on the street and for the pedestrians walking by.
There was also an emphasis on re-using materials throughout the project, which retained parts of the existing building structure. On the exterior, the new facade panels are angled so that in some places the existing building is revealed from behind. In the interior, the two floors of the restaurant have been upgraded with the latest comforts and technological features. The furnishings and fittings contrast with the overall space in which the walls and ceilings have been removed and emphasis placed on the live music and the performance stage.
Throughout the restaurant, the cafe pays tribute to artists from its musical memorabilia to the commissioned graffiti on the second floor. The performance stage features a larger area for the band performers and a custom-fabricated backdrop by product designer Anon Pairot. As one of the highlights of the interior, this stage wall is made from recycled aluminum re-cast into solid modules.
Where wood was used in the restaurant, efforts were made to retain the existing finishes from before the renovation and to also introduce reclaimed timber on the exterior.
