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Architects: Atelier olk
- Area: 700 m²
- Year: 2022
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Photographs:Rodrigo Apolaya
Text description provided by the architects. The project is located in the 4th arrondissement of Paris, as part of a large, adaptive reuse complex designed by David Chipperfield Architects and Calq, winners of the first Réinventer Paris call for projects. The former headquarters of the Préfecture de Paris, the rectangular site encompasses several city blocks and was repurposed to house a variety of uses. A series of archways open up the ground floor, allowing visitors to move from the street to the riverfront and access the different programs. Located adjacent to the Arsenal Pavilion, the TiTi restaurant occupies the 2nd floor of The People Paris Marais hostel, one of the site’s new buildings which run parallel to Boulevard Morland.
The TiTi restaurant draws inspiration from the celebrated Crystal Palace, which was constructed in 1851 for the Great Exhibition in London. Designed by Joseph Paxton, its monumental form was well-known for its form and functionality.
Like the Crystal Palace, the linear volume containing the restaurant is primarily made of glass and steel and was envisioned as a greenhouse-like environment, within which one finds different activities, zones, and festive atmospheres. The project respects the architectural integrity of the 50 m long volume conceived by Chipperfield by creating a space void of partitions or dividers.
The 50 m long volume is divided into three distinct zones and follows the natural separation afforded by placing the back-of-house and service areas on either end of the space, and the open-air veranda in the middle. One discovers three ambiances within this urban jungle environment: café, bar, and restaurant. The café is a flexible space with modular seating tables and movable light fixtures. The bar’s one-of-a-kind vibe is achieved via its jewel-like 40 m long marble counter. The intimate restaurant area, located to the back, is composed of booths and screens.
In keeping with the open-air café vibe, fanciful bulb light fixtures are suspended from the existing structure. They also serve as hanging points from which to string decorative lighting, which when viewed at night from the street make the restaurant a sort-of urban lantern. Modular tables allow for various seating configurations and keep with the color palette of the establishment. The bistro chairs accentuate the outdoor café feel, as do various potted plants, vines, and ceramics that loosely indicate the parameters of the café zone.
The impressive 40 m long bar is the central and defining element of the volume and is visible and accessible on all sides. Its marble countertops and Zellige-tiled surfaces are accented by vertical wooden slats, treated as sideboards, removing the need for joints between panels and facilitating the bar’s upkeep. The contours of the bar space are highlighted via a series of thin arches, from which are suspended decorative lights, vegetation, signage, and shelves. The restaurant’s decorative banners and pennants are grouped around the bar, which emphasizes its role as a spatial anchor.
The main restaurant seating area allows for a more intimate setting and was imagined as an ode to the dolce vita. An assortment of cane circular booths with striped finishings and hanging pendant lamps indicate place settings, although the groupings may be rearranged to accommodate larger numbers of parties when needed. The screens, vegetation, striped coverings, and accents of rose give the seating areas a lighter feel against the open and mineral backdrop.
