Merge was approached by Paris Creperie, a restauranteur looking to extend their existing brand, to design a new kiosk-based bar concept. For the first location of this new prototype, the client selected the energetic lobby of a lifestyle center in Boston’s Seaport neighborhood. The project is located at the center of a pedestrian thoroughfare and, quite challengingly, tucked beneath an existing escalator. This unique location, particularly the slope of the escalator, inspired the form of the project.
The project is composed of a canopy, a bar, and a drink rail. The canopy, a series of four aluminum trusses that grow in height as they progress, forms a lattice-like structure that: references the wrought iron forms of Paris; creates an intimate setting for drinks, serves as a beacon to passerby, provides display for alcohol & glassware, and effortlessly integrates the lighting and speakers. The canopy is supported by the quartz bar below whose kinked shape responds to the egress constraints of the existing space while providing fixed seating for 18 patrons. Along the windows the drink rail creates space for 12 additional guests, while activating the storefront. Like an iceberg, the majority of this project is hidden from sight. Merge also designed a pantry in the poche of the adjacent wall and a fully outfitted kitchen on the level below, while coordinating the building services, which run across five stories.
