Young Belgian architectural firm 'studio MOTO' designs a new model for Brussels friteries
studio MOTO, a young Belgian architectural firm, is designing 10 new friteries (the typical Belgian snack kiosks serving fries) at prominent locations in Brussels. The City of Brussels launched an architecture competition in collaboration with the National Federation of Friteries. The specific and recognizable model of studio MOTO was selected as winner out of 52 international entries. The eye-catchers of the design are the reflecting mirror facade and the striking neon lighting on top of each friterie.
studio MOTO is a new architectural firm founded in 2017 by Thomas Hick and Mo Vandenberghe. Both architects previously worked at Robbrecht en Daem architecten. Their winning design for the Brussels friteries starts from the appreciation and respect for the traditional snack kiosks. Firmly rooted in the Belgian (culinary) culture, the kiosks have a symbolic value, being part of the Belgian and Brussels street view for decades.
With their design, studio MOTO returns to the essence of the friterie. The focus lies on identity, functionality and context. The typical elements of a friterie such as the recognizable shape, the awning, the glass counter and the neon sign on top are all present in this design. But by providing the friteries with a mirrored façade, they enter into a dynamic dialogue with their environment. Each friterie gets its own identity through a unique light advertising. This identity is enhanced when the friterie is open and the unique color of the tiles becomes visible.
The game of contrast between the cold reflecting exterior wall that merges into its surroundings and the warm, tangible interior that gives volume, is crucial for the design and typical for studio MOTO, who invariably combines adventure with well thought-out designs.
--------------------------------------------------
studio MOTO
studio MOTO was founded in 2017 by Thomas Hick (1978, Liège) and Mo Vandenberghe (1983, Ghent).
With the love for designing as a starting point, studio MOTO seeks a tension between the everyday and the adventurous. Their designs are not spectacular but subtle, fresh and seemingly simple. Their goal is not to make architectural statements, but to design well-thought interventions based on an existing reality and dialoguing with the - spatial, cultural and historical - context.
www.studiomoto.be
