Montreal-based architectural practice Nature Humaine has designed the Au Pain Dore projet. Completed in 2015, the striking bakery is located on the ground floor of a three-storey building in the Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood of Montreal, Canada.
The design challenge was to find a new contemporary look for ‘Au Pain Doré’, a bakery chain. The design is based on the European concept of a ‘bakery/café’ that combines the sale of freshly baked products with coffee where the barista is put at centre stage.
The interior space has been completely redesigned with an extension at the back offering a total floor space of 140m2. To make this rather narrow and linear space configuration more dynamic, the architects introduced a wooden structure made entirely of American tulipwood slats. “The spatial concept of the project was inspired by the lattice of wicker bread baskets,” explains Stéphane Rasselet, the architect in charge of the project. “The randomised rhythmic lattice provides a dynamic experience the moment you enter the bakery.”
“We were looking for a wood species for this bakery project that offered interesting grain patterns and different colours and hues. The wood species had to stand out in contrast with the other monochromatic materials used in the project (steel painted black, white tiles, grey flooring) whilst blending into the overall contemporary design style”.
Tulipwood is also used to create shelves, table tops and the interior cladding of the long serving counter, which runs along the full length of one wall in the main space. Glass display units built into the counter and shelving behind the preparation area are designed to showcase the bakery products.
“We have already specified tulipwood in other projects, but never in its natural aspect,” says architect Stéphane Rasselet. “We have specified it for instance to create furniture but unplaned and stained to give it a warm and rustic aspect. For this particular bakery project we loved the natural play in nuances of tulipwood. It is a wood species that we would willingly specify on future projects,” he adds.
Images courtesy of The American Hardwood Export Council by Adrien Williams
