NOMA went down under for 10 weeks

The NOMA Pop-up Restaurant at Barangaroo near Sydney in Australia was most unusual - unusual because it was designed to operate only 10 weeks, just like another temporary one which popped-up for a short time in Tokyo.

It was the initiative of famous Chef René Redzepi and his Danish team, designed and built in a few months by the Australian Design and Planning collaboration, lead by Lendlease and principal architect Darren Kindrachuk.

The restaurant covered about 500 sqm including the main kitchen, serveries and the dining area as well as an out door preparation space and guest lounge. With space for only 56 diners, 27,000 disappointed visitors were left on the waiting-list!

An interpretation of "Land and Water"

The idea of the restaurant was to interpret NOMA’s bespoke culinary creations and give them a unique Australian identity. References to elements of the Australian landscape, as well as Rene’s in-depth investigation and sourcing of natural Australian ingredients, also provided the foundation for the underlying design theme of Land and Water.

Materially, Land was interpreted by the use of rammed earth, charred/´charcoal surfaces and dark colour selections, deep within the restaurant. The notion of Water was suggested in the control of natural light and shadows, glass surfaces and spatial volume expressed on the frontages of the restaurant.

References to NOMA Copenhagen and the Danish origins of the restaurant and its Chef were subtly incorporated in the restaurant design. In this context, the review of materials and furnishings included only a limited number of selected Danish sourced options, chosen for their outstanding quality, performance and aesthetics. For example, the dining furniture was designed by Carl Hansen while the ceilings were lined with acoustic panels from Troldtekt, widely specified in Denmark and worldwide to reduce noise and create a quiet and peaceful environment.

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FACTS ABOUT NOMA:

• 4 times Noma in Copenhagen has been awarded the title of World's Best Restaurant by the British Restaurant Magazine (2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014)
• 5 is the world ranking that Noma in Copenhagen currently holds
• 10 weeks René Redzepi and his crew fed Australia
• 56 was the number of seats in the pop up-restaurant in Sydney
• 5.600 was the total number of seats available for the pop-up duration
• 90 seconds it took for reservations to book up entirely
• 27.000 people were left out wanting a reservation