Touted as an exotic enclave of all the finer things in life in the Netherlands by its Calvinist dwellers, it’s usually Maastricht‘s historic downtown where most are headed when letting their hair down. As of late, a laid-back contemporary eatery has popped up in the city’s suburban Wyckerpoort area, pulling crowds from around town with a menu of tasty bites, salads and soups, all served in a cool setting that’s quite fitting for the discerning Superfuture crowd. Simply called Mama, the restaurant occupies a red brick pavilion with a striking circular canopy of red steel. The multi-sided building, created by Amsterdam-based architecture practice KettingHuls, measures 156 sqm. (1,679 sq.ft.) and is set in a newly created park just outside the city centre. From concrete benches in the brick façade as the starting point of a boot camp or running, to circular apertures in the terrace from which trees grow upwards and intertwine with the steel canopy, the building itself very much aims to connect with the surrounding recreational zone.
Inside, the steel canopy morphs into a construction of laminated wooden beams, anchored by a concrete column at the centre of the building. The restaurant and kitchen form a T-shaped space encased in glass. The Mama pavilion sits on a circular layer of concrete which ties in the outdoor terrace with the indoor section. The atmosphere is understated and somewhat Spartan, but the ample use of wood and exposed large red bricks – mind you, they’re made from a leftover batch of terracotta module bricks – infuse warmth into the setting. Furnishings comprise of both steel tables and chairs in seductive pastel hues and classic Thonet chairs crafted from untreated wood. Interestingly, the pavilion’s roof is entirely covered with solar panels, and as such, gas-free. The outdoor unit of the heat pump is integrated with the building volume and located behind a wooden grille in the façade.
Mama
Oranjeplein 200 (Wyckerpoort)
6224KV Maastricht
Telephone: +31 43 8556138
Publishers Note
Just to be clear – superfuture® is a design blog and not a political commentator. No surprise there. The scope of our content has always been global and borderless, however that can often mean covering projects in countries where we will not agree with the politics or actions of those countries. In a world that’s as screwed up as ever right now, the focus of our support is to those designers, architects and other creatives who aim to make the world a more liveable one – as opposed to people that try their hardest to destroy it. So if a project hits our desk and we like it based on its design credentials, we may choose to publish regardless of its location or creators nationality. superfuture® has always been inclusive and hopes for all current wars, aggression, violence, hate and extremism to end.
