NoochX - Noodle Bar
Singapore
Karim Rashid Inc.

Softness and speed in a bright new approach to fast food

© CI&A Photography

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Nooch Express is the quick food version of an established restaurant chain. Located in a mall in Singapore, the restaurant represents a break from the traditional food court experience. Departing from the typically mundane branding typography, the architects strove to create a high energy space. Reflecting the speed of a fast food café, bright colors (lime green and shocking pink) and strong curved forms emphasize the swift pace of service. The cross section of the space is reflected on the facade. While the window becomes the section, this space is merely part of a larger whole, cut at both ends like a log and capped for definition, again underscoring the infinite proliferation of the fast food concept.

At the same time, physiological and physical softness, in essence a human touch, remained a design priority. All the chairs and tables have rounded edges, while the doorways and counter windows find expression in soft shapes. Fluid lines and amorphic forms propel movement through the space, projecting a sense of calm in quite a futuristic environment.

Intended as a modern approach to food, the restaurant’s menu is global and its sphere is digital. To this end, carefully chosen materials, including patterned wallpaper in bright pink, lime-green seating, and gleaming white tables, create a broadly futuristic, international environment. Small square chrome mosaic tiles cover the entire façade, and as customers pass, they themselves are digitized by the pixilated reflection. A large open window creates visual interaction with the mall, but also keeps the space separated, giving it more of a restaurant feel than the usual food court station. Opening a mere three months after its initial design, this project embodies "fast food" in every way possible.

Formal name of Project:
NoochX - Noodle Bar

Location:
Singapore

Gross square footage:
2,000 sq. ft.

Owner:
Nooch Express Holdings Private Limited

Architect:
Karim Rashid Inc.
357 w 17th St.
New York, NY 10011
www.karimrashid.com