Merit Award
POD Restaurant
Location
Philadelphia, PA
Client
Stephen Starr
Design Firm
Rockwell Group, New York
Design Team
David Rockwell (Principal in Charge), Sam Trimble, Jun Aizaki, Kimberly Silvia Hall, Yael Behar, Jennifer Morris
Consultants
Johnson Schwinghammer Lighting Consultants Inc. (lighting consultants), Next Step Design Group (kitchen consultants), Steven R. Shore Consulting, C.J. Engineers, Inc. (MEP consultants)
Photographer
Paul Warchol
Inspired by retro-modernism, but without overt reference, Pod is an all white space painted with colored lights. The restaurant features pods (individual spaces), from deuce pods along the dining perimeter, to pods for six to ten people that have internally illuminated color changing table tops. Some design features that make Pod so unique are the high gloss white epoxy walls, acoustic foam ceilings, creamy concrete floor, dipped rubber chairs, and a thirty foot red rubber lounge barge.
Jury Comment
"Simple geometric patterns – in the colored concentric lighting projections, ovoid enclosures, and rounded edges on windows and service openings – work well against the subdued coloring. The overall effect is to encourage the intimacy of the eating experience while allowing an element of texture to infuse the space. The acoustic foam ceiling is a great textural touch."