This restaurant concept combines a flexible dining area that can be changed depending on the different needs such as regular dining, weddings or corporate parties. It has two one dining area that can be divided up into three separate rooms and also employs a large retractable roof canopy that can change the space into an indoor or outdoor area depending on the whether. The food will to be ‘international’ with visiting chefs from around the world creating an ever-changing menu.

The site is currently a parking lot for the Alamitos Bay marina. There are a few other restaurants near by such as Joes Crab Shack and Schooner or Later to the south. The Marina Port Hotel complex sits across Marina drive to the east. It is planned to be redeveloped into a new hotel mixed-use complex with a footbridge connecting the proposed new hotel with the site for the new Mums. The existing property is managed by Bancap and is under the authority of the City of Long Beach.

Their is currently an active thriving farmers market that takes place every Sunday in the parking lot closest to Marina Drive. The proposed restaurant does not impact the Farmers Market space because the parking area (shown above) is left intact.

The client has a long history in LB as a restaurant innovator and community trendsetter. In the 1970s he created Legends on 2nd Street and was credited with inventing the modern sports bar. Legends was the first sports themed bar and restaurant that integrated the then new technology of satellite broadcasting with sports personalities, live events and memorabilia.  After a successful run with Legends he became a pioneer in the revitalization of downtown LB by opening Mums on Pine Ave, which is now re-branded as Smoothes.

http://www.legendssportsbar.com/
http://www.smoothssportsgrille.com/

The site plan for the new Mums takes advantage of the natural setting that overlooks the marina and view of Long Beach and Palos Verdes in the distance. Since the proposed restaurant would be built in a large parking lot there is ample space for parking and the central location of the site between LB and Orange County along PCH will make it a destination from up and down the coast.

The client requested a series of ideas that when put together result in a unique concept. He wanted a sleek new look for the building that was inspired by the nautical environment that surrounds the site. This was to be combined with a flexible plan that allows a variety of functions within one space with a completely retractable roof and a sliding glass curtain wall that when opened make the whole dining area an outside space.

Version 1

Early sketches show a symmetrical shape.

The early concepts for the design explore a few different retracting roof and sliding divider wall ideas. The plan was also a symmetrical “band shell” shape that focuses the diners view out toward the harbor. This design was deemed too open and not intimate enough and the partial fan shaped retracting roof mechanism too complicated.

Early floor plan shows "band shell" shape.

In the first client brief it was requested that there be 3 different dining areas with their own entrances that could be combined into one space if needed. The only way to achieve this was to elevate the floor level one story up to allow a central tunnel under the kitchen up into the middle room, each other room area had an entrance to the side.

Version 2

This idea was proposed as a much less expensive solution that would achieve the same functionality with simpler construction methods. The restaurant is composed of a series of pavilions and divider walls made primarily of shipping containers. The containers are stacked and oriented to take advantage of the views and create an intimate environment with the flexible function of multiple uses. They are also modified so that during rainy weather the bar for each dining area is inside a container where diners can go inside for shelter.

The retracting roof elements are a linear accordion type of design that folds up into pockets above the main containers. Mobile cabañas can be reconfigured to create private zones within dining areas and can be completely enclosed, giving the diners inside total privacy and protection from the elements.

Version 3

 The assymetrical form emerges.

Version 3 uses many of the same features as version 1 but is asymmetrical and only has two primary dining areas. In order to achieve an intimate feeling in a large open space movable booths can be configured around fire pits or conversation zones.

Because the two dining areas are not the same size it made sense to make the overall structure asymmetrical and give weight to one side as the primarily used area. However the client liked the west elevation and the circular retracting fan roof, so a certain symmetry remains in the design. The above sketch is an extreme version of this idea.

The above design shows the roof layout with the fan shaped canopy in closed position.

These are photos of an early engineering sketch model to study how the roof system might work. The design is based on the workings of a chinese fan and the retractable roof concept shows how the fan can be configured into a variety of positions depending on the weather, sun position or dining needs.

The above floor plan shows the final asymmetrical design.

An important and challenging request by the client was to have the entrances to each side of the structure be in the middle of each wall allowing the patrons to arrive and walk past a central bar. The early designs had the entrances toward the marina side of the building and following the natural shape of the front elevation. When the stairs were moved back to the middle of the wall the design became awkward and slightly mishaped. A sloution was found by curving the stairs back toward the marina and wrapping the flow up into the restaurant with connective ceiling elements.

Top view with totally retracted roof.