Beef Club is the radical refresh of a beloved eatery on the corporate campus of the German automobile manufacturer Volkswagen. The new design offers two different dining rooms for different kinds of atmospheres: a joyful social area in the front that overlooks an outdoor terrace and an elegant private area in the rear where small groups can gather for celebrations or more confidential meals. At the center of the pub is the theatrical preparation of food on a grill – the menu of Beef Club features both grilled meats and vegetables. An open brick fireplace is positioned in a location where everyone can see it, recalling the power of an archaic fire at the center of a shared dining experience.

The theme of the dining menu is “Fire + Salt” – so, in the interior design, building materials are used that are similarly formed from this theme. The open part of the kitchen is made from brick – baked earth. This hearth is made from a composition of three kinds of fired brick – glazed and unglazed in different formats. The brick grill grows out of the podium in an assemblage of inter-related volumes. Outside, the brick becomes the floor of the terrace and becomes built-in benches. A lightweight metal pergola creates a framework that makes outdoor rooms.

Salt is also used as a building material. A large block of solid salt sits on the brick plinth as a table for display; dining tables are made from woods that have been salted to bring out a unique color and texture. The whole ensemble is brought together in a colorful and joyous composition of discrete rooms within rooms.