Iron Fist is a two-storey Chinese fusion restaurant and bar located in Blok M, South Jakarta. Situated in historical neighborhood of Blok M this restaurant is trying to embed itself in the hustling-bustling context. Blok M area, known as little Tokyo because of the strong presence of Japanese owned businesses in the vicinity, is going through a rapid revitalization to bring back it’s past time glory as the popular destination for young people and tourist in the 80’s. The face of Blok M area was dominated with modernist buildings from the 60’s and 70’s. The modernization of Blok M in the recent years put the original face of this area behind pastiche design represented with glass curtain wall and colorful aluminum panels.
There is a momentum shift when people become more attracted to alternative outdoor hangout place outside big box shopping malls. During post covid era people prefers more open air hangout place thus hole-in-the-wall restaurants with outdoor space around Blok M area become a hit. This is a great opportunity for Iron Fist to be a part of Blok M revitalization movement to regain this area’s popularity.
The design intent for the exterior is focusing on returning the building facade to its original state. This means liberating the frontage from the aluminum curtain wall installed by previous tenant so that the beauty of the existing modernist facade can be exposed. Similar strategy for the interior, the existing wall and ceiling are to be revealed and become the highlight of the project. The relatively new paint is scrapped to show layers of old paints that were applied multiple times from different tenants. This exercise is part of the exploration to find aesthetic specific to the context.
While the beauty of the existing becomes the main show of this project the supporting acts comes from the steel elements. Not only for aesthetic purpose but the presence of steel here is also used for structural reinforcement of the old concrete structure. Off the shelf steel elements such as cable tray and slotted angle are used widely in this project along with other materials with minimum finish. The idea is to introduce simple and non-pretentious materials in the existing space; beauty is sought from the coexistence between the old and the new elements.
Glass facades on both levels are positioned setting back from the original facade to create a larger semi outdoor space for customers. On ground level the setback opens up a transitional space acts as a seating area and takeout counter. Deeper setback on the upper level is intended to allow more spacious semi outdoor space for bar and group seating. Indoor seating and convertible private rooms are accommodated in the indoor part on the upper floor. Rolling door and yellow vinyl stripes are used as flexible partition to adapt to different private room settings. The renovation also includes improvement of the existing mechanical and plumbing system and also replacement of the old stair with the new steel staircase.
Open and airy bar space on the upper level is supplemented with tropical infusion from the long linear planter. Gravel flooring is presented to give extra outdoor feel for the semi outdoor seating area. Colorful neon boxes are introduced on every level of the restaurant to resemble old Hong Kong neon sign; this element becomes the datum of the design. Color selection is based on the graphic identity of the Iron Fist restaurant.
Iron Fist is a two-storey Chinese fusion restaurant and bar located in Blok M, South Jakarta. Situated in historical neighborhood of Blok M this restaurant is trying to embed itself in the hustling-bustling context. Blok M area, known as little Tokyo because of the strong presence of Japanese owned businesses in the vicinity, is going through a rapid revitalization to bring back it’s past time glory as the popular destination for young people and tourist in the 80’s. The face of Blok M area was dominated with modernist buildings from the 60’s and 70’s. The modernization of Blok M in the recent years put the original face of this area behind pastiche design represented with glass curtain wall and colorful aluminum panels.
There is a momentum shift when people become more attracted to alternative outdoor hangout place outside big box shopping malls. During post covid era people prefers more open air hangout place thus hole-in-the-wall restaurants with outdoor space around Blok M area become a hit. This is a great opportunity for Iron Fist to be a part of Blok M revitalization movement to regain this area’s popularity.
The design intent for the exterior is focusing on returning the building facade to its original state. This means liberating the frontage from the aluminum curtain wall installed by previous tenant so that the beauty of the existing modernist facade can be exposed. Similar strategy for the interior, the existing wall and ceiling are to be revealed and become the highlight of the project. The relatively new paint is scrapped to show layers of old paints that were applied multiple times from different tenants. This exercise is part of the exploration to find aesthetic specific to the context.
While the beauty of the existing becomes the main show of this project the supporting acts comes from the steel elements. Not only for aesthetic purpose but the presence of steel here is also used for structural reinforcement of the old concrete structure. Off the shelf steel elements such as cable tray and slotted angle are used widely in this project along with other materials with minimum finish. The idea is to introduce simple and non-pretentious materials in the existing space; beauty is sought from the coexistence between the old and the new elements.
Glass facades on both levels are positioned setting back from the original facade to create a larger semi outdoor space for customers. On ground level the setback opens up a transitional space acts as a seating area and takeout counter. Deeper setback on the upper level is intended to allow more spacious semi outdoor space for bar and group seating. Indoor seating and convertible private rooms are accommodated in the indoor part on the upper floor. Rolling door and yellow vinyl stripes are used as flexible partition to adapt to different private room settings. The renovation also includes improvement of the existing mechanical and plumbing system and also replacement of the old stair with the new steel staircase.
Open and airy bar space on the upper level is supplemented with tropical infusion from the long linear planter. Gravel flooring is presented to give extra outdoor feel for the semi outdoor seating area. Colorful neon boxes are introduced on every level of the restaurant to resemble old Hong Kong neon sign; this element becomes the datum of the design. Color selection is based on the graphic identity of the Iron Fist restaurant.
Iron Fist is a two-storey Chinese fusion restaurant and bar located in Blok M, South Jakarta. Situated in historical neighborhood of Blok M this restaurant is trying to embed itself in the hustling-bustling context. Blok M area, known as little Tokyo because of the strong presence of Japanese owned businesses in the vicinity, is going through a rapid revitalization to bring back it’s past time glory as the popular destination for young people and tourist in the 80’s. The face of Blok M area was dominated with modernist buildings from the 60’s and 70’s. The modernization of Blok M in the recent years put the original face of this area behind pastiche design represented with glass curtain wall and colorful aluminum panels.
There is a momentum shift when people become more attracted to alternative outdoor hangout place outside big box shopping malls. During post covid era people prefers more open air hangout place thus hole-in-the-wall restaurants with outdoor space around Blok M area become a hit. This is a great opportunity for Iron Fist to be a part of Blok M revitalization movement to regain this area’s popularity.
The design intent for the exterior is focusing on returning the building facade to its original state. This means liberating the frontage from the aluminum curtain wall installed by previous tenant so that the beauty of the existing modernist facade can be exposed. Similar strategy for the interior, the existing wall and ceiling are to be revealed and become the highlight of the project. The relatively new paint is scrapped to show layers of old paints that were applied multiple times from different tenants. This exercise is part of the exploration to find aesthetic specific to the context.
While the beauty of the existing becomes the main show of this project the supporting acts comes from the steel elements. Not only for aesthetic purpose but the presence of steel here is also used for structural reinforcement of the old concrete structure. Off the shelf steel elements such as cable tray and slotted angle are used widely in this project along with other materials with minimum finish. The idea is to introduce simple and non-pretentious materials in the existing space; beauty is sought from the coexistence between the old and the new elements.
Glass facades on both levels are positioned setting back from the original facade to create a larger semi outdoor space for customers. On ground level the setback opens up a transitional space acts as a seating area and takeout counter. Deeper setback on the upper level is intended to allow more spacious semi outdoor space for bar and group seating. Indoor seating and convertible private rooms are accommodated in the indoor part on the upper floor. Rolling door and yellow vinyl stripes are used as flexible partition to adapt to different private room settings. The renovation also includes improvement of the existing mechanical and plumbing system and also replacement of the old stair with the new steel staircase.
Open and airy bar space on the upper level is supplemented with tropical infusion from the long linear planter. Gravel flooring is presented to give extra outdoor feel for the semi outdoor seating area. Colorful neon boxes are introduced on every level of the restaurant to resemble old Hong Kong neon sign; this element becomes the datum of the design. Color selection is based on the graphic identity of the Iron Fist restaurant.
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