2015 Gallery

For decades, multi-tenant food and beverage spaces have attempted to define themselves by enforcing a (necessarily artificial) uniformity onto their operators. But now, identity is increasingly fragmented, chaos privileged over coherence, individuality preferenced over mass and the old “food courts” have begun to segue into new generation “dining precincts.” The District at Chatswood Interchange shopping mall is a prime example of this shift. Riffing on Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, the eclectic interior feels as if it has evolved, or perhaps devolved, organically over time, creating an experiential destination animated by a roster of indie operators. What’s interesting is that for all its apparent quotation of an Asian street aesthetic, The District very adroitly sidesteps pastiche. Design firm The Uncarved Block has managed to majestically convert a cavernous 3000-square-metre floor plate into a nuanced, multi-faceted complex of internal laneways, bespoke graphics and innovative digital artwork. If this is the future of mass market eating, it’s a very exciting time for design.