e: studio@glowacka-rennie.com
f: +44 (0) 870 912 1215
t: +44 (0) 207 739 3050
148 - 150 Curtain Road
Back Building
London EC2A 3AT

 

© Glowacka Rennie Ltd  

The site offered a unique opportunity to re-link the heart of Rotherham with its most undervalued asset – the river Don. Our cafe proposal is formally and conceptually an instrument for making this link, an aperture for framing views of the river and weir from Rotherham. The dual aspect orientation of the café allows for clear, directional views through the café from the outside, and creates en exciting, day-lit dining space inside.

Structurally the proposal uses Lenotec, a solid timber panel system, left exposed on the interior. The natural timber finish gives the cafe interior a warm and inviting feel. Externally the café roof and walls are clad in pre-patinated copper shingles. The structural ‘tube’ is punctuated in places with rooflights and windows sized to the shingle modules. The subservient kitchen block is clad in black-stained timber boards with a large picture window framing views from the kitchen to the river.

The ramped entrance bridges the change in level between street and riverside. The café proposal is arranged over one level which allows for flexibility, clarity of spatial relationships, good connectivity and economic efficiency. An external riverside terrace is an extension of the dining space during summer months.

THE WEIR CAFE
ROTHERHAM, UK
(Awarded Runner-up)

Client: Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council

Architect: Glowacka Rennie

Structural Engineer: Martin Stockley Associates

Quantity Surveyor: KMCS

Services Engineer: Max Fordham

Catering Consultant: Andrew Dean