OKU is a japanese restaurant located at the northeast area of Mexico City in the ground floor of a corporate office building.

The kitchen and services are placed at the back corner of the space, opening the rest of the layout for the reception, sushi bar and dining area with different types of seating layouts. The formal structure of the space appears as a faceted cave-like atmosphere which is cut and deformed to adapt to the various necessities of the restaurant. Although the ceiling element is constantly changing it generates a unifying space with a range of unique and diverse areas such as outdoor terrace, sushi bar, and several layouts for seating areas.

Three legs are pulled down from the ceiling to match program and aesthetic ambitions. One reaches the floor and becomes a service column that holds the lavatories, while the other two are cut to create an artificial lighting element that frames the sushi bar and gives character to the interior. These elements are internally cladded with brass to contrast the rawness of the cement ceiling. The rest of the interior is cladded in oak wood which sets a sepia-like ambiance in relation with the other materials.  

“I was able to have a leading role in this award-winning project while collaborating directly with Isaac Michan, the clients and the restaurant’s back-of-house team. As project manager my duties included the planning, supervision and creation of schematic design, design development, production of construction documents, fabrication documents for specialized production, coordination with engineering and on-site construction supervision.” Alan Eskildsen