Architecture for restaurants, bars and hotels

What must high-quality architecture achieve for hospitality and hotels? Our philosophy: as architects, we want to build a frame for the concept. To stay with the image: the restaurateur or hotelier “paints” – OOW builds the frame for it. Our task is to enable the host to make that picture as expressive as possible. The design is the host's best helper here and reflects the approach of the restaurant, the bar or the hotel.

we design architecture

From commercial projects to residential construction: OOW's award-winning Berlin architects design, conceive and shape both buildings and interiors. Powerful, focused and bold.

OOW's architecture is not fixed on a single concept but covers every facet: from the refined rooftop bar in a new building with a club atmosphere in the centre of the metropolis of Berlin, through the convivial brewhouse with an old dining room and existing architecture, to the restaurant in a retirement home in timeless design with a slow, calm atmosphere for older people.

“…feel at ease, as well as of the staff, who want to work efficiently.” Mathis Malchow, Founder of OOW

Mathis Malchow, Founder of OOW

Architecture has to ensure that guests feel at ease in the restaurant – and that the restaurateur or hotelier can make perfect use of their spaces. For this reason, we focus on two themes in particular: atmosphere and functionality. From the very start, our architecture for restaurants, bars and hotels factors in the central questions, in order to make the work as pleasant as possible for those who will later use the space – and to ease and accelerate their workflows.

That is why we ask ourselves: who exactly are the guests? Do they want to grab a drink at the bar, settle in at a table with a beer, or be served a set menu at their seat? And how do the service staff reach the tables? How can they bring food and drinks to the guest without any fuss? How does the bartender work efficiently and elegantly at their station while showing off enough of their craft that guests fancy another drink?

The guest's perspective matters just as much: what do they see from their seat? Light plays a central role here: the dish should be staged to perfection and clearly visible. At the same time, the hospitality space – whether an elegant restaurant, a high-quality beer bar or an exclusive rooftop bar – should radiate a feel-good atmosphere. Refined lighting, incidentally, is one of the areas where we can bring the full strengths of our visualisations to bear. At an early stage of the planning, we can try out different variants for the various times of day and give clients and users a true-to-life impression in advance.

So that the overall appearance speaks one consistent language, we work closely as architects with partners who design the menus, for example, or create high-quality logos. Recent references: the Kerb Foodhall at Potsdamer Platz and the Jamie Oliver | Kitchen.