Old Scuola Pizzeria in Rotterdam by Instability We Trust.

Terrazzo bar elements forms the epicentre of Old Scuola, a 350sqm industrial production kitchen and pizza restaurant in Rotterdam. Founded by two young entrepreneurs on a quest to create the ultimate pizza, the restaurant is located in the new creative hub which also houses MVRDV and Groos Concept Store.

Instability We Trust (IWT) aimed to design a spatial machine, an interplay between the support strip, the bar elements and the acoustic landscape. A metal clad support strip houses the restaurant’s fixed functions – two wood-fired ovens, kitchen, stairs, toilets and storage – taking up a minimal programmatic footprint.

The strip is accompanied by three centrally positioned terrazzo bar elements, which, together with the workbenches, double as a production area during the day, and an eating area in the evening. These different user zones of the bar elements enable unexpected interactions and social encounters between guests and staff.

Custom-made acoustic baffles and adjustable frames with integrated ceiling lights reveal an interior landscape focussed on delivering sound and light intimacy within the industrial production environment. The linoleum covered dining tables mark the more secluded areas, further enclosed by curtains that play with visual transparency.

[Images courtesy of Instability We Trust. Photography by Pim Top.]