Paolozzi Restaurant

Working with the same team from Edinburgh Beer Factory we converted the former Royal Bank of Scotland branch on Forrest Road into a new restaurant and bar, bringing excellent food, beer and art together to create a unique dining venue.

The old Royal Bank was completely stripped back to the shell, the pink granite cladding removed from the frontage to expose the distressed but original stone collonade beneath and the internals completely stripped back to reveal a unique series of architectural spaces. The new black, mid century inspired frontage was set back from the pavement, a small gesture to offer some public space to this tight, busy section of Forrest Road. New lighting and bespoke signage draws just the right amount of attention while the bright lights and bar act as a visual beacon in themselves.

As part of a carefully orchastrated series of design and construction sequences, archealogical investigations had to be undertaken in order to safeguard part of Edinburgh's old city walls. With the space completely opened up three main spaces revealed themselves; the front bar, the middle restaurant and the 'extension' to the rear. The sequence of spaces creates a real sense of atmosphere for the diner with each area having a distinct character of its own while also creating a sense of openness balanced with intimacy.

The brass detailed bar to the front, and rooflight and the pizza oven at the back combine to pull patrons through to the rear and entice further exploration. Together with the interior layout and design, all the furniture and fittings were bespoke made with extensive mechanical and electrical services replacing the bank's antiquated systems. The whole project was designed, procured and delivered to a tight budget and timescale where close relationships between the design and construction teams were essential to achieving the ambitious project goals.