RIBA names 2022 Stirling Prize winner, Rolls-Royce goes electric, and Noma partners with Ace Hotel Kyoto. All that and more in this week’s Five on Friday.
Noma chef partners with Ace Hotel Kyoto
Noma chef and owner René Redzepi; photo by Amy Tang
René Redzepi, the chef and owner of lauded Copenhagen restaurant Noma, has revealed plans to extend his expertise to Ace Hotel Kyoto, writes Robb Report. From March 15th to May 20th, 2023, the culinary maestro and his team will serve a tasting menu in the hotel’s 64-seat restaurant inspired by the dining legacy of Kyoto. “We have been working on this specific project for the past two years, and we have had a team on the ground since late spring, foraging and researching what will form the foundation of our Kyoto menu. Our main inspiration comes from the very heart of Kyoto, the kaiseki cuisine, while not at all being a Japanese restaurant,” Redzepi says. “We come to be inspired, to learn, to absorb new creative processes and to hopefully bring back new perspectives and a clearer vision for how to be noma.”
RIBA awards 2022 Stirling Prize
Photo by Nick Kane
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has awarded the New Library, Magdalene College in Cambridge with the 2022 Stirling Prize. London-based firm Níall McLaughlin Architects are the 26th recipients of the UK’s most esteemed architecture honor. The project breathes new life into the 700-year-old University of Cambridge campus, drawing upon rich surroundings to influence its form. Load-bearing brick, gabled pitched roofs, chimneys, and windows detailed with tracery nod to historic vernaculars through a more sustainable lens. Spaces like the triple-height entrance hall and a double-height reading room infuse a sense of openness into even the most intimate corners of the interior, while vaulted skylights and connecting passageways reinforce the outdoors.
Grada Kilomba reveals O Barco/The Boat
O Barco, The Boat by Grada Kilomba at Somerset House, London, 2022; photo by Tim Bowditch
Portuguese artist Grada Kilomba left her mark on the 10th 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair with her installation O Barco/The Boat. Installed in the courtyard of London’s Somerset House, the former home of Britain’s Navy Board, the artwork comprises 140 charred wooden blocks outlined as the hold of a historical European slave ship. Spread across more than 100 feet, the tomb-like rectangles are inscribed with poetry translated into African languages. The Art Newspaper reports that the installation was further activated with performances directed by Kilomba that include an ensemble of collaborators of African descent performing dance, song, and poetry.
Rolls-Royce goes electric
Rendering courtesy of Rolls-Royce
The Spectre coup has been unveiled as the first all-electric car from luxury brand Rolls-Royce. The model is introduced as part of brand efforts to go fully electric by 2030. According to Dezeen, the two-door sports car is conceived as a spiritual successor to the iconic Rolls-Royce Phantom and will be set to ship to customers beginning in Q4 2023. Beyond a reflective and tapered exterior inspired by modern yachts, Spectre is also touted as the most aerodynamic car in the Rolls-Royce fleet thanks to a fastback design that provides an extremely low drag coefficient. Inside, illuminated interiors will be fashioned to echo the night sky.
Restaurant paywalls have checked in
Carbone Miami, designed by Ken Fulk; photo courtesy of Ken Fulk
It’s no secret that the reservation hustle in New York and Los Angeles are more competitive than ever. New tactics from concierge services to credit card perks to NFT reservation tokens are incentivizing diners to cough up money before they even hear the specials. The New York Times reports that Global Dining Access is one of many new programs that provide priority reservations to users for an annual credit card fee sometimes costing thousands. Meanwhile, restaurants like Haiku in Miami only afford reservations by invitation-only for an annual fee, and a commitment of four reservations throughout a calendar year. Major Food Group is also preparing to launch a members-only service with the upcoming launch of ZZ’s Club in New York. “Clubstaurants” like Bohemian Club in San Francisco and ’Quin House in Boston continue to boom in popularity, even as they establish another hurdle for guests to dine as well.
