BAR HOTEL RESTAURANT

Dear Readers,

have you also noticed the strong affinity between our profession and the catering industry? My first interior design project, even before studying, was the conversion of a restaurant into a youth pub, and for two years, I myself happily stood behind the bar. Therefore, I recently enjoyed hosting an event on the topic of gastronomy and spoke with Ester Bruzkus, Almut Grüntuch-Ernst and Markus Kaplan from the Viennese office BWM about their current projects in this segment. With great passion and commitment, they have developed restaurants and hotels, and in some cases, even acted as investors and operators to optimally implement the envisioned concepts. We feature BWM’s current hotel projects, Grand Hotel Straubinger and Badeschloss in Bad Gastein, starting from page 94. The refurbishment and extension of the hotel ensemble is not only a stroke of luck for the magnificent old buildings but for all of Bad Gastein. Often, it is precisely existing buildings that gain urban relevance due to their gastronomic use. Architect and restaurateur Axel Schenke also thought this way when he, together with interior designer Nadja Thalau, restored a 14th-century vaulted cellar in Esslingen and transformed it into the bar-restaurant Embargo (from p. 86). A true specialist in the field of gastronomic conversion and temporary use is Janusch Munkwitz. In our series “Change of Perspective” (from p. 34), he answers questions from our AIT colleague Annette Weckesser and concludes: “Gastronomy combined with architecture has always fascinated me. People visit a restaurant, where they feel comfortable or not. Sometimes they don’t even know exactly why. It’s the little factors that matter. A good space with a harmonious interplay of materials, light and music often has just as much allure for me as a spectacular building.” So true! We also want to inspire you with a selection of remarkable cafés, restaurants, hotels and bars (from p. 68) from around the world and support you in planning your catering projects with numerous product suggestions and outdoor tips (from p. 56). Maybe you will even visit one or the other project? We wish you warm summer evenings and light-hearted holidays!

Best wishes
Petra Stephan, Dipl.-Ing.
Chief Editor
Architect