A Restaurant In A Crate

Ardie van Bommel’s ‘Pure Nature’ graduation project is a modular outdoor restaurant made out of characteristic apple crates. By composing the diverse kitchen and dining units at any spot, allows an open air restaurant to pop up in a minute. Van Bommel’s modular crate restaurant is based on the classic apple crates that are used by farmers in the Dutch apple orchards, but is also meant to be used in these same orchards. In the nice green decor of the apple orchard, visitors can compose their own dishes using apples as the basic ingredient. A tractor is used to place the crates around the orchard.

Obviously, the concept of the flexible crate restaurant is meant for apple environments here. But thinking one step further it can be used in all kinds of other environments as well. As the project focusses on bringing the traditional food process closer to the consumer, I can imagine that also dining between the patatoes, wheat or corn could be facilitated. What about these modular restaurants popping up in the concrete dessert of business parks and suburbs?

This article belongs to our Dutch Design Week 2011 series, in which we showcase ten great designs spotted at the Design Academy’s graduation show.

PUC × Dutch Design Week

In October of each year, the Dutch Design Week takes place in Eindhoven. The biggest design event in Northern Europe presents work and ideas of more than 2,600 designers. In more than 110 locations across the city, DDW organizes and facilitates exhibitions, lectures, prize ceremonies, networking events, debates and festivities.

Step Into VRcation And Escape Reality

Eindhoven Design Academy graduate Emma Verhoeven has designed VRcation, a fictitious travel agency offering virtual package-deal vacations.

Trash And Treasure The Game

Eindhoven Design Academy graduate Wouter Vastenow has designed The ‘De Afvalbank’ or ‘The Waste Bench’, looking at how cleaning up the streets can be changed from a chore to an inviting game.

Bike Design For The Urban Nomad

A group a nine master students presented their City Bike concept at this year's Design Academy graduation show, part of this year's Dutch Design Week. The concept combines a mobile workspace with the Dutch cargo bike. This means that 'urban nomads' no longer have to use their bike to get to their favorite workplace, but their bike becomes a workplace in itself. The cargo part of the bicycle can be transformed into a desk to work on with your laptop. Not bothered with colleagues or loud speaking coffee drinkers, this could be the ultimate form of mobile workplaces...