The gastronomic offer of the capital city of Ecuador has been enriched with a new Chinese restaurant. The “Happy Panda” is located in the Paseo San Francisco shopping center in a district of Quito called Cumbaya. With its authentic interior, this factory of taste transforms an ordinary meal into the deeper experience of Asian aesthetics.
The whole dining area with booths and tables is placed under the dropped wavy ceiling, which resembles a sumptuous baldachin. This fascinating “canopy” (inspired by Chinese temples) was made of the CNC cut plywood and its fluid shape visually extends the main room. Just behind the centrally positioned bar and service area, lies tucked in the more private (and smaller) dining room. The kitchen was raised to the mezzanine level, leaving more space for customers and a bar.
The walls are decorated with the digitally altered scroll paintings, originally painted by Zhang Zeduan during the Song Dynasty over 900 years ago. When it comes to lighting, the most interesting part are LEDs that were put along the edges of the ceiling to make it visually separated from the walls.
Hou de Sousa is an architecture studio run by Jia Min Nancy Hou and Josh de Sousa. Together, they work on inventive, culturally and environmentally responsible projects.
Aug. 28, 2013
Central Saint Martins
University of Cincinnati
Design Skolen Kolding
Beckmans College of Design
LOFT 42
World Architecture Festival
