PREVIEW

They say revenge is a dish best served cold, but so is Michelin-starred food if British architects Pearce+ are to be believed. The design firm created a temporary, gilded, inflatable restaurant, engineered to shield diners from temperatures as low as -30 degrees on a frozen river in Winnipeg, Canada. Over a span of 22 days, leading chefs from across North America gathered for the RAW:Almond culinary festival on the ice, housed within a distinctive structure. In total more than 2,000 diners relished culinary delights amidst the ice and snow of the Canadian winter. Constructed in a mere ten days, the 48-seat temporary restaurant emerged on the snow-covered expanse of the Arctic Canadian winter, marking the 10th anniversary of the event. Revealing the difficulties of working in the bitter cold, Owen Hughes Pearce, Director, Pearce+ said: “Within seconds of removing a mitten your hands sting with pain and go numb. “My Arctic-rated gloves from the UK froze solid so I could no longer clench or move my hand. This project really pushes you to consider what’s important in a design.” The project culminated in a blessing from an Indigenous elder, marking its successful completion with diners then enjoying some of North America’s best food while sheltering from the Arctic temperatures!.