ADF Award Winner at MIID REKA Awards 2023

The Malaysian Interior Designers Association (MIID), the representative body of the Malaysian interior design industry, has announced the winners of the MIID REKA Awards 2023. Aoyama Design Forum (ADF) has been supporting this award since 2018, as a corporate partner. This year's winner is the "Manufacturing Factory Cafeteria", a project by Naszelima Binti Ngadomin of the design firm Blue Water, based on the concept of an urban indoor dining park, designed to allow staff to relax as if they were having lunch in the park.

A skylight punctuates the pavilion dining area with natural light and anchors the raised platform

Site located in Penang, this cafeteria in manufacturing complex required an expansion to allocate 1000 dining seating capacity with a proper kitchen and servery area. Goal is to provide a dining space allowing the workforce taking a break to improves focus and concentration, as well as provides the opportunity for an employee’s mental reset. The designs and planning are requested to meet client requirements, including safety, environmental, hygiene, access, clearances, maintainability, and constructability. Design for a conducive and safe layout for people and material / equipment movement with consideration of ergonomics needs for both construction and maintenance. The overall planning should provide a proper flow-planning, especially during peak hour.

The well defined central market hall which commands all the attention during peak hours boasts

Design

They aim to create an organic space that blurs the line between manmade and nature, reeling in a sense of space and a reenergizing sensibility through simple lines and natural expressions. The space resonates a calm and therapeutic vibe thanks to its neutral colour palette. Within the expansive cafeteria, the design team has dexterously demarcated the space through pockets of seating areas. This allows diners the flexibility and options to find their preferred corners according to how they feel; ensuring a personal touch through design. As the world moves into a space of wellness and mindfulness post-pandemic, the importance of interaction becomes more evident. At this cafeteria, the objective is simple — to provide a rejuvenating space where the office staffs are able to reset and relax while appreciating the littlest things in life through spatial interactions.

The furniture selection is diverse but harmonized and offers a sense of casual comfort with a touch

Bright and radiant pavilion dining area with touches of lush foliage and seamlessly incorporated

Creativity

Seamless and strategic, the newly refurbished and extended Manufacturing Complex Cafeteria checks the bill for being empathetic, integrative, and emotional to its main users — the workforce of the office building. The concept of “dining in the park” being introduced to the project. Our aim to create an indoor urban dining park that’s homed in a minimalist architectural silhouette. It further encourages the users to take breaks in between working hours — a brief reset for better focus and concentration. While reconnecting with nature, they can also take lunch breaks to rest and relax in a space of calm.

The gazebo seatings epitomize the concept of an urban dining park characterized by a minimalist arch

Spatial Features

The layout was planned to mimic the park environment and ambiance to the indoor space, with an eclectic furniture layout setting to cater various seating groups. This 16,000 sqft dining space divided by multiple pavilions into several seating zones and serving counters, with an outdoor extension dining hall approximately with 9000 sqft area that surrounded by lush landscape. An open courtyard created and set in between the existing dining hall and the new extension block to blur the indoor and outdoor space within the cafeteria. Seating areas designed to resemble outdoor park settings within the cafeteria. Incorporate elements like wooden benches, picnic tables, and artificial greenery to create a park-like ambiance. Natural materials, textures, and earthy material palette are widely used in the space to evoke a sense of being in nature and to create a soothing and refreshing atmosphere.

The cafeteria additionally offers a private dining room that can be partitioned off like a pavilion

Furnished with park style seating the gazebo sets include built in bench seatings and acoustical

Design Functionality

Fluidity is name of the game as it creates a dynamic flow within the newly extended complex. Through different modular components such as the two-sided seatings and the multiple islands, these fluid elements stand out as the centre of attention. Its fluid design creates a dynamic and inviting atmosphere, encouraging people to gather, interact, and appreciate the space. Abundant greenery, plants, and natural elements injected throughout to soften the space and giving a lively and energizing outdoor dining vibe allows mind to recharge and refocus.

Pops of zesty colour sprinkled throughout the space exudes a vivacious spark and sense of energy

About Blu Water Design Sdn Bhd

They are an award-winning boutique interior design studio with defined experiences and uncompromised commitment to craft purposeful designs through our passion for storytelling.