milse restaurant: parametric dessert den by cheshire architects

milse restaurant: parametric dessert den by cheshire architects
image © jeremy toth
all images courtesy of cheshire architects

a space of cave-like intensity scrapped together from off-cuts of its neighbors, dessert restaurant ‘milse’ in auckland, new zealand by local firm cheshire architects, was originally planned as a rubbish holding room. the parametrically designed volume seeks to shape a few still eddies while denying a vantage of the whole interior from any one point. the plan bends its spaces through the room, tempting discovery and implying a perceptual area that exceeds its physical constraints. integrated into the surrounding precinct, the site consists of a commercial production kitchen, a retail store, a dining space offering a singular intensity of experience and a lane-front bar. a net of moucharaby wooden panels were mathematically programmed with bespoke parametric systems assembled in the grasshopper plug-in to rhino. this enabled a free geometry that fluidly absorbs the chaos of its received envelope and a variation of opacity via the relative dilation of its perforations. the sanctity of the dessert den is enriched by the fragility of a folding filigree screen.

‘most of our sweet tradition evolved out of ancient arabia. the crystalline structure of their sugars is here folded together with the patterned delicacy of carved wooden moucharaby panels: a collective conceit for creating a world of quiet delight within a chaotic left-over geometry surrounded by service lanes and delivery trucks.’ says architect nat cheshire.

supporting the mystery, intricacy and surprise of the dessert craft that the design celebrates, the structure is able to act as a wall, shutter, ceiling and light fitting at once. this universality of use, coupled with the direct outputting of the panels from architect to cutting machine helped shape the entire public environment for the price of a gelato fridge.

a folded lattice of moucharaby wooden panels bends through the space, adding to the restaurant’s sense of mystery
image © jeremy toth