UXUS recently completed Speys, a food court located in the Netherlands' largest multifunctional event centre, Jaarbeurs. Celebrating the venue's 100th year anniversary, UXUS created a central meeting space, between the cimema and the exhibition halls, bringing visitors together for food, coffee, evening drinks or hot desking. The food court offers a fast, casual dining experience with an industrious market hall feel, featuring freshly prepared foods, stimulating encounters and engagement.
UXUS was briefed to create a unique hospitality experience with its own identity within the double height space below the new cinema complex. The task was to create an engaging space for Jaarbeurs visitors & cinema go-ers and a destination for the local community. The project incorporates spaces for lunch, coffee, dining, evening drinks and working throughout the day.
"The standout features of the space are the geometric canopies which break up the hall into food zones and creates the Speys signature look, we wanted to play with the height of the building," explained Bart Lans, Architect and Senior designer at UXUS, "the changing light levels accentuate the mood for day and night while the canopies regulate the acoustics of the space." Speys features a mezzanine that divides the space and adds an elevated area with additional seating amongst the canopies.
UXUS took inspiration from the rich visual heritage of the venue to play with pattern and scale in the design, including a selection of archive posters displayed as part of the scheme. The vintage posters formed the starting point for the Speys graphic identity, using vintage typography in the different zones. An art deco feel has been achieved with old cinematic lighting and geometric patterns.
UXUS worked in collaboration with Food and Beverage concept developers Conceptional to develop the menu, back of house, customer experience and flow of the space. In the food offering, Conceptional reflects the Jaarbeurs' heritage as a trade fair for the Dutch industry. The food outlets can be broken down into Koffie&Graan (coffee&wheat), Hop (beer), Rund (beef), Basilicum (basil) and Olie&Azijn (oil&vinegar). Each outlet has a different colour palette and seating arrangements to reflect its cuisine.
Photography: Peter Tijhuis
Video: Anton van der Linden