Azucar is a modern “tong sui” store that has been serving Cantonese desserts in Macau for more than a decade. They have commissioned the Volks Design to develop their new establishment on the University of Macau’s Hengqin campus.
Inspired by the soup bowl that carries a Chinese dessert, the design team creates the brand’s sign and design motif. By employing various manufacturing techniques, including splitting, folding, stacking, and regrouping, the designers attempted to dematerialise the “bowl’s” physical characteristics. This propels them to reconsider the relation between space and appliances, as well as define the fundamental elements of space. Hence, Bowl Fantasy comes to life.
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- Photo Credits: The Volks Design
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- Photo Credits: The Volks Design
Entering the “tong sui” store is like travelling through a bowl-deconstructed area. Customers can find bowl-shaped decor around the interior in a variety of shapes and forms; they are folded and stacked to cast three-dimensional screens, chopped and rearranged to create a dynamic ceiling design, or even sliced and organised to mould enormous chandeliers. This fantastical eatery inspires creativity and opens to a world of possibilities within this dining experience.
Given the low-budget and time-sensitive nature of the project, the design team has to work around fabrication processes, on-site installations, and transportation constraints. For instance, the use of off-site laser cutting technology has decreased costs, construction time, and on-site labour. Close collaboration with the laser cutting manufacturer enables the design team to visualise the forms and folding techniques, and create focal points for the dessert store.
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- Photo Credits: The Volks Design
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- Photo Credits: The Volks Design
