Paris Market Lab contest

Introduction

Gastronomy is without a doubt one of the largest economic activities in the world. We can find gastronomy anywhere we go, regardless of the geography, culture or race. It’s been present since immemorial times, and for obvious reasons it will remain even when other macro economical activities start to fade.
The cooking world has become more and more sophisticated and the new techniques sand styles have taken the culinary standards to a whole new level. With the appearance of new restaurants like the Bulli by Ferran Adria among others, a new concept of cooking has been born, where investigation and research have become key to understand the present and future of gastronomy.

On the top of all this we find the new paradigm of tourism; Travel is no longer an activity open to a few, it has become an almost daily activity for many. The mass tourism has forced the industry to generate new specialized activities to satisfy the needs of all travelers. Visiting China alone is no longer enough, now we must take the Silk Road to discover the wonders of the country. Visiting Russia is now obsolete if we don’t take the famous Orient Express train. And who visits Spain without going on a wine tasting experience?

The food industry has been without a doubt one of the greatest beneficiaries from this specialization, turning the whole tasting experience into something more than just food and eating. Specialized guides such as the “Guía Michelin” have a global influence and a very loyal clientele. The announcement of the “best” restaurants of the year is followed like the Oscars ceremony and restaurants run by renowned chefs usually have waiting lists that go well over 12 months.

We could say that historically French food has almost been part of the French national patrimony, and that Paris was and still is one of the world’s greatest capitals when it comes to gastronomy. However, in order to satisfy these new kind of specialized customers it’s no longer enough to have the best product, you also need to sell it well. Paris has become very aware of that fact, and they know that in order to maintain their status as the best cooks in the world they need to keep renewing themselves to stay ahead of the increasing number of competitors.

Proposal

From ArchMedium we will like to propose the creation of a new restaurant concept that we have called “Maket Lab”. The Paris Maket Lab is a complex where kitchen is taken to a new level; not only in the way that dishes are prepared but also in the way the clients interact with it. The Market Lab acts as restaurant and cooking school at once, and it wants to be nothing less than one of the best in the world in both categories.

The world’s top chefs will be invited to lead one of the several cuisines of the complex over a limited period of time that might go from 2 to 12 months. During their stay these chefs will become mentors of a team of aspiring chefs, transmitting their knowledge to them, from the very basics of selecting raw materials out of the market to the smallest details of how every dish should be presented. During the day the Market Lab will work as a cooking school, becoming a five star restaurant during the night that will sever experimental recipes elaborated by the master chefs and their students.
The Market Lab will not accept reservations, nor will it count with a pre-established menu. The way to enjoy it will be as simple as getting there while free spots still last and wait to be served with a surprising, always changing, degustation menu.

Thanks to the continuous experimentation that will take place in the kitchens, as well as the rotating chefs system, the Market Lab will become a whole new experience every night. And because of its mixed use as a school and restaurant, as well as because of its “no reservations accepted” policy the Market Lab will be something that everyone will be able to enjoy at reasonable prices.

The site

The site is strategically located a few steps away from the Sain-Germain market at the heart of Paris, forcing the new design to integrate and dialogue with all the history and the urban planning that surrounds it.

At the site we can currently find an isolated typical Parisian building with no major historical heritage that was partially burned a few months ago.

1st Prize

2500 Euros + Publication of the project in the TC Cuadernos magazine, Future Arquitecturas, SUMMA+ and WA+wettbewerbeaktuell + 1 year of subscription to the ON Diseño magazine + Exhibition at the Architecture University of Barcelona (ETSAB) and Buenos Aires (UBA) + Publication on several architecture Blogs.

2nd Prize

1000 Euros + Publication of the project in the TC Cuadernos magazine, Future Arquitecturas, SUMMA+ and WA+wettbewerbeaktuell + 1 year of subscription to the ON Diseño magazine + Exhibition at the Architecture University of Barcelona (ETSAB) and Buenos Aires (UBA) + Publication on several architecture Blogs.

3rd Prize

500 Euros + Publication of the project in the TC Cuadernos magazine, Future Arquitecturas, SUMMA+ and WA+wettbewerbeaktuell + 1 year of subscription to the ON Diseño magazine + Exhibition at the Architecture University of Barcelona (ETSAB) and Buenos Aires (UBA) + Publication on several architecture Blogs.

10 Honor mentions

Publication of the project in the TC Cuadernos magazine, Future Arquitecturas, SUMMA+ and WA+wettbewerbeaktuell + Exhibition at the Architecture University of Barcelona (ETSAB) and Buenos Aires (UBA) + Publication on several architecture Blogs.

Publications

The 3 winning projects and the 10 honorable mentions will be published on the TC Cuadernos magazine, Future Arquitecturas, SUMMA+ and WA+wettbewerbeaktuell, distributed worldwide.

Exposition

The 3 winning projects along with the 10 honorable mentions will be displayed at the dedicated expositions that will be held in the:

• Architecture School of Barcelona (ETSAB). during the spring semester of the 2011-2012 course. This exposition will be open to all publics for free.
• Architecture School of Buenos Aires (UBA).during the autum semester of the 2011-2012 course. This exposition will be open to all publics for free.

Registration and deatels: http://en.archmedium.com/

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