BRASSERIE BLANC BEACONSFIELD

The development of this premises spanned a number of years. Hall Barn Estates wanted to demolish a poorly constructed 1980’s office building that backed on to a listed building frontage facing London End and replace this with a mixed use development of restaurants, shops and residential. The rear of the site was accessed by two existing coaching arches and the development of the design of the new buildings at the rear was an exercise in imagining the kind of buildings that may have been lost.
 

Inspiration was taken from weather boarded Georgian architecture which used to be a common sight in the UK but is now largely lost. A weather boarded building could easily have been lost in this location and would create a natural fit if detailed in a convincing manner. The internal circulation and external circulation of the site were considered together and resolved by creating a flourish at the furthest point back of the ground floor in the form of a lofty double height space. Internally this created a dramatic brasserie space. Externally it allowed the circulation to pivot around the end of the building so that the site could be exited through the second coaching arch.
 

The interior architecture followed a progression from small space to medium space to large space to create a simple drama to draw customers into the premises. Each space with its own character. A cozy bar with woodburning stoves went into the original small listed building rooms at the front of the premises. A stage kitchen into the light and airy middle room with reclaimed softwood beams.
 

And brasserie dining into the double height end room with pyramidal oak framed roof. The sunny elevations of the outside of the building are planted with yew hedging and pergola arches to create an external dining area.