World’s Most Stunning McDonald’s Resto Yet
If you’re looking for the coolest McDonald’s building, then fly to the Black Sea port city of Batumi in Georgia and get to see the architecturally modern food chain yet.
Without the McDonald’s sign upfront, it won’t be mistaken as a fast food restaurant. The beautiful, dreamy structure is designed by Harvard-educated architect Giorgi Khmaladze under his self-named design firm. Such building which covers 1,200 square meters was completed in October 2012.
The exterior is noticeably made of glass, totalling to 460 glass panels that cover the entire eatery. It is landscaped with a pool where surrounding images reflect to the glass, producing flowing lines.
Its interior, on the other hand, is also unorthodox. It boasts of a sloping garden, which is an open-air patio filled with vegetation. The dining areas look out onto the reflecting pool and the garden.
Khmaladze elaborates, “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,” he adds.
Behind the fastfood chain building is a cantilever glass, which covers a gas station. Yup, the McDonald’s structure doubles as a service station but this area is totally invisible to the customers inside.
Designing the structure was a challenge according to Khmaladze. Being an award-winning designer, he had to prove himself in follow the strict requirements of McDonald’s Corporation while incorporating his architectural expertise.
Operations of the fastfood chain depend on the correct planning of all required spaces, so Khmaladze made sure that he followed them. He tells, “We had to incorporate their standards in such a way that it would not impact out design in a negative way.” This while separating McDonald’s apart from the gas station.
“We set ourself a goal to disconnect – at least visually – the dining from the gas station, but to do it in an architecturally interesting way,” he adds.
Since it opened in October 2012, the McDonald’s became a city landmark in Georgia.
Source: RFERL