Office AIO’s design for Pang Mei Noodle Bar in Beijing, China, showcases a playful design, enhancing interaction within the restoration and streetscape connection. 

The client set out to experiment with a hybrid operation, varying service models and menus at different hours. As a result, Office AIO devised a system of spatial programming that changes throughout the day to facilitate different operational needs while engaging and activating its surroundings.  

A roller shutter acts as the key to the eatery’s transformation; closed during off-peak hours for quick counter service, the shutter opens during peak hours, expanding the restaurant for full table service.  

The design carves out a corridor along the façade for grab-and-go orders, and double-sided window seats take advantage of the arterial walkway and exposure to the courtyard. 

A stainless-steel superstructure projects out of the façade above the bi-fold windows, commanding a monumental yet playful presence inside the complex. Office AIO also designed custom furniture to continue the narrative of the design throughout the building.  

Judges of the World Interior category said: “This project is an essay in clever design applied to a successful noodle bar business. Its exciting vocabulary of soft walls, roller shutters and cramped tables and chairs capitalises on the real star, the food. When less busy, dining is confined to the inside, but at busy times it spills onto the street beneath a chunky glass and steel canopy. A veritable machine for dining that ticks all the boxes – for its customers, its staff and its owners.”