Hophaus reinterprets the traditional Bavarian Bier Cafe. Familiar elements are treated with a contemporary slant, creating a simultaneously recognisable, yet new atmosphere. Texture and warmth are created by using crafted and hand finished materials throughout, from brick, to steel, timber, and stone. This too harks back to a bygone era.

The brief called for a Bavarian Bier Cafe which would inhabit an approximately 600sqm tenancy. The limitations in volume, and a bird’s nest of existing services from former and adjacent tenancies,  meant that careful consideration had to be given to creating height and theatre throughout an otherwise low-lying and uneventful space.

A versatility was required to enable large groups to gather, and also smaller intimate settings. Separate lounge, front bar, dining, and terrace areas, adaptable to patron numbers, would allow for  a layering of uses as needed. The spaces and their relationship to one another required a crafted and considered approach. This is seen in plan and the undulating levels of soffits throughout. Zoning of services and lighting also attempted to enhance the sustainable approach to this large venue.

‘Traditional’ Bier cafes were analysed, and the common elemental nature of their structure and materiality became apparent. This would be reinterpreted in form and function through the use of traditional materials, such as tilling, timber, glazed brickwork, stone, fine steelwork, and lighting elements, to inform the design. It was important that the materials convey a crafted and bespoke feel to them, typical within the bier Cafe typology.

The familiar, yet new  and reinterpreted design of Hophaus was critical in being a key identifying feature in the branding of the venue. There had to be hints to the essence of the food and beverage on offer, without merely being a replication of the known typology, so often copied and poorly imitated the world over. Timber, mirror, tile, columns, brickwork, all hark to the ‘Bier Cafe’ and yet are utilised in unexpected locations and juxtapositions.

The versatile nature of the spaces allow for differing experiences each time a patron visits Hophaus. The dining , bar and lounge experiences offer aesthetic changes, as well as shifts in atmosphere. A range of furniture and seating types also adds to the experience. This is a venue that caters to the many moods that patrons might have. Detail in design plays a part in a continued intrigue and visitation. These ideas of versatility and shifting are encompassed by the wide beer and food selections available.

The spatial considerations also allow for the vast kitchen and bar to function efficiently and not cramp one another  during service. Storage, back of house, and service areas have deliberate relationships for delivery of product.

Hophaus does not rely on well worn typological replication, but rather seeks to reinvent, and intrigue. The appreciation for fine craft, as seen in the beverage and food offer, is encompassed in the design, details, and materials of the venue.

The familiarity of materials and elements within the space is turned on its head with new uses, and delicate balances between textures that might not be ordinarily expected. In this way Hophaus sets a new standard for venues which previously were seen as having only one method of expression: the tried and tested.

Hophaus reinterprets the ‘Bier Cafe’ typology, and in doing so creates a new language with a nod to the past.

Factory Sound designed and managed the installation for the entire audio system, which needs to provide clear background music in peak periods and handle a roving microphone during private functions.

There is also scope for a DJ feed for when it’s time to lift the vibe. The restaurant manager has full roaming control of all eight zones of audio via iPad, where the volume levels of DJ, background music and announcing microphone can be simply adjusted.

There is also an iPod Touch in the bar, which has volume control and source select for each zone.

QSC Acoustic Design speakers and amplifiers deliver the sound, while BSS Soundweb is the heart of the control system. The PA system’s bottom end thump comes from discreetly flown subwoofers. They’re powered via GX series QSC amplifiers.