Read ArchiPro's article here.

Alma is a contemporary Spanish restaurant and bar within a 1930’s heritage building in Auckland’s Britomart precinct. The brief was for all day trading, from early morning to late at night. This required an interior that could transition from casual bistro to a more elegant atmosphere at night, while reflecting the culture of the food and the attention to craft and detail that the client offers from a food and hospitality perspective. 

Our design evolved from the proposition of accentuating the unusual shape of the premises. We proposed an open kitchen facing the three surrounding streets. This makes the process of cooking a central piece of theatre within the space. A counter runs along the entirety of the west – east axis, utilizing its dramatic length to create a focal point for the restaurant. This focal point is also the arrival point from the central entry doors. 

The long bar counter is used for dining and represents almost half of the seats in the restaurant. From the bar the experience is of being within the working kitchen. The interior reflects the southern Spanish influence of the food by referencing the Andalucian tradition of highly decorative tiled surfaces, but in a contemporary and somewhat abstract way . Alma reads as a bright and vibrant insertion within the exposed concrete structure of the original building, creating great atmosphere both day and night.