LAB Gastropub

THE

LABgastropub [ los angeles, ca ]

PROJECT

URBNMRKT

LOCATION

Los Angeles, CA

When a 5,000 square foot Sizzler restaurant—located on property owned by the University of Southern California and sitting immediately adjacent to the USC Galen Center—closed, the school saw an opportunity to develop an upscale café to service not only the student body and faculty, but the entire surrounding community. The Lab Gastropub is located within the City of Los Angeles Restaurant Incentive Program area which was developed to discourage fast food restaurants in favor of sit-down restaurants offering a variety of healthier foods.

The Lab was designed to offer an indoor/outdoor dining experience with a storefront that features a wall of custom glass and wood accordion doors, opening the dining room to the adjacent patio/lounge area and taking advantage of the temperate Los Angeles weather.

The décor enlists memories of classic chemistry labs, from slate tables and wood floors to lab-style Pyrex beakers and glasses. There are three distinct interior dining zones: a more intimate area with plush banquettes and small café tables; a linear grouping of tables with stools and benches for larger parties or communal, multi-party dining; and a private room with its own separate outdoor patio, for those who wish to be discrete.

Outside, the expansive patio features low, laid-back couches, a firepit and gas heaters, creating a lounge-like atmosphere from which to see and be seen by campus passersby.

Flat screen televisions are located both indoors and out, making this the destination spot for big games.

The city of Los Angeles has taken notice. While USC expected that the campus community would patronize the Lab, it didn’t anticipate the number of locals and downtown professionals who have been frequenting the spot since its March 2009 opening. The Lab has doubled its initial revenue projections, earning it a 2009 “Good Design is Good Business” award from Business Week/Architectural Record.

Interior View

Before

After

RESTROOMS + WASHROOM A dark portal frames the view of the unisex washroom as seen from the main dining room. Custom chrome vanities feature lab-inspired sinks, exposed pipes and fittings, and custommade soap dispensers crafted from amber glass bottles and ring stands. Warm light from amber glass pendants gives sparkle to the fixtures while casting soft, suede-like shadows over the caramel-colored glass wall tiles.

Restroom/Washroom Rendering

Washroom View from Dining Room

Preliminary Interior Design Sketches / Early Renderings

Custom-Designed Teak and Black Slate Communal Tables and Benches

Private Dining Room with Custom-Designed Wall Graphic

Dining Room Details

M AT E R I A L S + F I N I S HES The materials and finishes in the Lab are evocative of a vintage high school science classroom. AC Martin’s design team looked to rejuvenate old furnishings, fittings and accessories. This is evident throughout the bar and dining area where walls are clad in beveled subway tile, blackboards and customdesigned graphics of scientific equipment, creating a fresh interpretation of the term ‘lab’. Slate dining tables are framed in warm wood and custom leather cushions provide warmth to the chrome stools. The glassware, napkins and matchbooks are custom as well, as are the china place settings; coffee cups are emblazoned with the chemical symbol for caffeine.

Hostess Station

Branding and Graphics

Custom Supergraphics Enliven a Conversation Nook

Indoor/Outdoor Seating

university of southern california

the lab gastropub Client Size Completion Location

University of Southern California 5,030 SF 2009 Los Angeles, CA

Key Points • The design is classic yet modern, elegant yet comfortable, hip yet timeless and, above all, is authentic.

• Custom furniture provides variety and interest and promises a new experience with each visit.

• Integration of supergraphics and custom collateral materials and place settings carry the theme through the smallest details.

• Kitchen, bar and dining room layout allow for increased operational efficiency and service speed.

• The southern California lifestyle is emphasized by a year-round outdoor lounge that’s accessed through large, retractable window walls.

• Has become a destination spot not only for students, but locals and downtown professionals as well.

Awards

Business Week/Architectural Record “Good Design is Good Business” Award, 2009 AIA/Los Angeles Restaurant Design Awards Finalist and People’s Choice Award Recipient, 2009 Graphic Design USA Magazine American Graphic Design Award Environmental Graphics and Branding Campaign, 2009 AIA/San Fernando Valley Merit Award, 2009