Nowhere | stu/D/O Architects

“NO / WHERE but NOW / HERE” is the expression given by the owners as the name and concept for this rooftop bar and restaurant on Ekkamai road. Inspired by this phrase, Stu/D/O reinterprets the idea of “nowhere” into the concept of the juxtaposition between reality and surrealism, which is represented through one of the most fundamental architectural element: stairs. 

Traditionally, the stairs have been used to connect different spaces and lead people to different levels. However, in this project, the stairs were given a new interpretation, instead of leading somewhere, it leads to ‘NOWHERE’, like the idea by MC. Escher’s artwork, “Relativity.”  At “Nowhere”, the stair is the main feature in connecting the functions and spaces altogether. In two continuous loops, the stairs provide new possibilities of functions within the restaurant by varying the height of the platform, creating different functions such as seats, tables, bar, and communal area. 

The restaurant plans to serve both in the daytime as a breakfast venue for the hotel guests and in the nighttime as the bar and restaurant. To show the contrast of day and night through the changing of sky, loops of stair are designed to link the entire space from the first step to the last and vanishes into the sky, accenting the concept of ‘Going Nowhere’. 

Stu/D/O Project Team:  Apichart Srirojanapinyo, Chanasit Cholasuek, Park Lertchanyakul, Thanipath Thanawuttimanas

Lighting Designer: InContrast Design Studio

Graphic Designer: Dinsor

Structural Engineer: Darat Likitthaveechok