FREEZE is a restaurant and bar that brings a bit of much needed chill to hot and sunny Savannah, Georgia. The geometric shapes and forms combined with cool colors are reminiscent of glaciers. This project required creating a building based on the plans for a Victorian style storefront building, making it more contemporary, and then mirroring the plan to create either a larger building or a second building with a courtyard in between structures. The structure was then to be populated with a business on the first floor with the option to use the basement as well, and the second floor was to become apartment space.
I chose to make my business a restaurant and bar with two separate one-bedroom apartments in each building. The first floor of the restaurant building has the kitchen, with counter-height seating that allows customers to watch the preparation of their food, as well as regular dining room seating. The basement of this building contains additional dining seating as well as a private room that can be used for parties, meetings, and other events. Some basic audio visual equipment is available to be set up for meetings, and additional tables can be brought in if necessary to set up food, activities, etc.
When the weather is nice, patrons are also welcome to utilize the outdoor courtyard space in between the restaurant and bar buildings. This space is primarily intended for the restaurant and tenants of the apartments. The central staircase acts as a second way out of the apartments in an emergency, as well as provides a reference to the interior’s geometric look through the form of the staircase. This staircase also frames a small flower bed which helps to disguise the view of the courtyard from the street, but allows any breeze to pass through, and provides a path out of the space at the end of a meal.