Giorgi Khmaladze – www.khmaladze.ge
URBAN, CANTILEVER, MULTIFACETED
The project is located in one of the newly urbanized parts of the seaside city of Batumi, Georgia. It includes fuels station, McDonald’s, recreational spaces and reflective pool. Given the central location and therefore importance of the site, it was decided to give back as much area as possible for recreation to the city by limiting the footprint of the building and vehicular circulation. This resulted in one volume with all programs compressed within. Spaces are composed in such way, that two major programs – vehicle services and dining are isolated from one another, both physically and visually so that all operations of fuel station are hidden from the view of the customers of the restaurant. Because of the predefined, small building footprint, most of the supporting and utility spaces are grouped and located on the ground level to be close to all technical access points. Public space of the restaurant starts from the lobby and its dedicated entrance on the ground floor. From there, as a way to naturally connect to the upper floor and to offer customers the experience of smooth transition between levels, the floor steps upwards and creates inhabitable decks on intermediate levels to be occupied as dining spaces. Part of the dining space offers views towards outside water features, while the rest of it seamlessly transitions into open air patio on the upper level. The patio, enclosed from all sides to protect the space from outside noise, provides calm open air seating. The vegetation layer, which covers the cantilevered giant canopy of the fuel station adds natural environment and acts as a “ecological shield” for the terrace.
Project: Fuel Station + McDonalds
Architect: Giorgi Khmaladze (Khmaladze Architects)
Collaborators: Capiteli (Structural Engineer), Gulfstream (MEP), Archange & Schloffer (MCD Standards), Franke (Kitchen engineering), Erco (exterior lighting).
Location: Batumi, Georgia
Year: 2010-11 Design, 2012-13 Construction
Size: 5,000 sqm (Site), 1200 sqm (Building)
Client: SOCAR
Photographs: Giorgi Khmaladze
