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Architects: BOSS.architecture
- Area: 8445 ft²
- Year: 2017
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Photographs:James Florio
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Manufacturers: Dasso, Mendoza Brick, Western States Metal
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Lead Architects: Chris Davis, Kevin Stephenson, Brent Forget
Text description provided by the architects. Sited on the crest of a hill overlooking Lone Tree, Colorado, Serra is a restaurant housed in a purpose-built, ground-up building designed to capture views, and create a dynamic dining experience. Combining classic building forms like the A frame and the courtyard, it makes a timeless, modern statement.
Fourteen steel A frames create the signature form of the restaurant. The downhill leg of the A frames extend outside the building envelope to a concrete buttress wall on the hillside below. Half of the A frames enclose the main dining room, while the second half continue over an exterior deck. In this area, the corrugated, cor-ten roofing becomes perforated to provide dappled light during the day, and acts as a lantern at night.
Pulled up to the edge of the hillside, the A frame form is visible from the near-by highway. It becomes the signature element, and signage for the restaurant.
On the opposite side of the building, a large courtyard creates a sheltered outdoor dining experience. Generous roof overhangs provide shelter along the building, and steel window frames on the courtyard wall provide a wind block while maintaining views. The entry sequence winds around the courtyard to create a transitional buffer between the parking lot and restaurant entry.
Salvaged red brick continues from the exterior to the interior, while wood floors floors, hammered copper tables, and exposed cor-ten steel structural members complete the warm materials palette. The restaurant’s interior is anchored by the open kitchen. The wood fired pizza oven and grill provide focal points, while two layers of copper counters allow guests to see the chefs at work.
