With a coastline dotted with an array of glittering high-rises, you’d almost think Abu Dhabi was built yesterday, but nothing could be further from the truth. Ensconced amidst these soaring structures is Qasr Al Hosn, a historical landmark building erected in 1781, which is the city’s oldest stone structure. The site has been transformed into a cultural park which opened in 2018, and it not only adds to Abu Dhabi‘s prestige as the United Arab Emirates‘ government seat, but also to its stature as the country’s undisputed cultural capital. Mind you, the latter is a carefully constructed distinction from neighbouring rival emirate Dubai. The Qasr Al Hosn cultural park comes with a number of matching facilities, and one of them is Erth, a restaurant entirely dedicated to contemporary Emirati cuisine. Occupying a 275 sqm. (2,960 sq.ft.) spread across one floor, the dining establishment features an interior design by Dubai-based architecture and interior design practice Bone. Interestingly, the local cooking processes played a significant role in influencing the design direction of the space.
By tweaking the conventional restaurant typology, the concept is now more befitting of the dynamics of Emirati cooking. Additionally, the design celebrates cooking as a joyful performance, and as such, Erth‘s kitchen manifests as a very visible entity. Despite being housed in a separate space, four large windows allow guests ample peeks of all the action that goes on there. The volume, captured by acid-washed steel and robust chunks of travertine, also features an exhibit of essential spices and ingredients that make up Erth‘s menu. The dining area takes cues from the traditional majlis or living room, featuring raised floors finished with clay from which several spaces were carved out. Bone collaborated with designers from the region and beyond, such as Bahraini Danish, Zuleya, Aljoud Lootah, Toru and Khalid Shafar to create various furnishings. The building’s original concrete shell serves as a matching backdrop. Special attention has been given to lighting in order to accentuate both the design and the ephemeral moments guests have when dining at Erth.
Erth
Qasr Al Hosn, Sharia Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum
Abu Dhabi
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.
