In the city of Bangalore, we were presented with a modest, modern 40-year-old concrete structure nestled under the shade of a large rain tree. In typical urban plot typology, the building was fenced on both sides by adjacent buildings, leaving only the street in front and the sky above, free to grow into — a space ideal for a glass roof design. The possibility of a building planned around split levels presented itself out of this impending verticality.

Editor’s Note: “Within this reimagined structure, space breathes afresh with vibrant colors that spill on, casting a lively glow to the street. The limits of architecture and urbanism blur, offering a moment of pause to the energetic rhythm of the city. Here, time is measured not by the clock but by the changing shades of daylight.” ~ Anusha Sridhar

A Glass Roof Design Brings Light And Openness To A 40-year-old Structure | Cochin Creative Collective

Embracing Verticality

The expression of verticality took the form of a striking glass roof mounted on the building, serving as an ode to the rain tree outside. As a result, it often mimicked the soft, dappled light filtering through the tree canopy. Additionally, the operation of enshrining the roof added much-needed floor area for dining purposes. However, the building became commercially viable and justified the premium real estate value of a plot in urban Bangalore.

The vertical column structurally anchored the roof to the ground. Additionally, it linked the community tables at each level while serving as an aesthetic element. The building now extended upwards to the sky and towards the street in front through strategic additions. As a result, it maximized space and made the most of the site area.

Dynamic Spaces with Seamless Transitions

A modified threshold brings the street into the building, doubling up as a vegetated buffer and coffee counter, creating an activated front yard. The balcony railings on the first floor transform into a high table, presenting another vantage point to the street. Thematically similar to the first version of Just Loaf, we invoke the simplistic clarity of served and servant spaces. To maintain this clarity, we segregate the two identically on all floors. The linking of the community tables is further emphasised by a whimsical use of mirrored surfaces. As a result, the space doubles up, creating an illusion of a continuing volume.

The pillar also reflects the playful and kitschy nature of the design and becomes an ever changing, ambient lighting element, bathing the interiors in bursts of pop colour. Once again, the pillar affords greater design freedom for customers. Moreover, it effortlessly transforms from standard everyday lighting to festive, quirky versions on occasions like Halloween or Holi.

Color and Materiality

The choice of colours seem to reminisce the vibrant, quintessential pub culture of Bangalore, while the black and white chequered flooring brings American diners to mind. Within the constraints of a confined space, the material palette manages to expand and enhance the volume within, often deluding the customers into experiencing a deceptively spacious room.

The continuity of the same materials on the exterior and the intelligent use of glass creates a seamless linkage of spaces inside and outside. Punctures in the floor slab dramatically interlink the vertical volumes, actively articulating the idea of an ever-unfolding community table.

Natural light brightens the lower levels, which would otherwise remain muted and dimly lit. Even at the lowest level, the puncture offers customers a rare glimpse of the overhead sky, allowing them to observe the passage of time throughout the day.

For an unadorned space, shifting shadows and waning daylight become ornaments, a performative spatial play. Like an impressionist painting, the foliage of the rain tree now becomes a permanent exhibit on the glass roof. Recurring elements from projects past and present reappear in the canvas of the cafe, a graphical representation of decontextualized objects that find new meaning in the space.

Fact File

Designed by: Cochin Creative Collective

Project Type: Restaurant/Bar/Cafe

Project Name: Diner Just Loaf Bangalore

Location: Bangalore

Year Built: 2024

Project Size: 2890 Sq.ft

Principal Architects: Madhushitha CA & Lijo John Mathew

Design Team: Gopika Ramesh

Photograph Courtesy: Syam Sreesylam & Naresh Andnayan

General Constructing: F2F Consultants

Source: Archdaily

Firm’s Website Link: Cochin Creative Collective

Firm’s Instagram Link: Cochin Creative Collective

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