This is the story of a special city, whose two hearts beat between ribbons of green and blue. Two histories, two lives. One rebuilt upon the old town center, another born of the airport. A past, a future; inward and outward, local and global. A place of coming, a place of going. Each has its own identity, and the one they share: Siauliai.

This project departs from the considerations of dual experience, both of the city, and of the restaurant as an embodiment of it. Two separated volumes linked by intersecting corridors of blue and green.

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Free Economic Zone

The competition site lies at the edge of the airport lands, between the runway and the historic city center. Located within the city's Free Economic Zone, the site has a strong relationship with the industries and businesses nearby. At the same time, the adjacent football field presents an opportunity for the proposed restaurant to become a community hub for the disconnected residential areas North of the airport. A place for business, and a place for play.

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Coming & Going

The restaurant has a potential to serve as a gateway between the two centers of Siauliai. The site serves the neighbourhood families and businesses, but also the city's tourists and travellers. Some arrive on their way to the Hill of Crosses, while others are on their way out through the city's airport. A place of pilgrimage, a point of departure.

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A cross, a runway.

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Pieces & Possibilities
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Everything here grapples with pluralities. The site is local, but global. Isolated, yet in the middle of so much. The design of the building is modular, replicable, but the complexity of the site demands something specific. The initial exercise therefore begins with a kit of parts: a modular language that can be deployed in countless ways.

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The proposed systems makes use of local expertise in steel and wood construction. A robust steel frame holds four distinct wall systems, which may be layered. Planar walls to frame and direct movement, glass corridors to provide an axis and trap heat, sliding walls to connect or isolate spaces, and chime walls incorporating a series of moveable wooden louvers to direct views and sunlight.

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On top of this (pun intended), we have 3 roof variations: the clerestory to direct rainwater and ventilation; the green roof to store water and grow vegetation; and the skylight.

With these we can play around to design something meaningful for the site.

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