Uchi: A Fusion of Japanese Sensibility and Denver's Unique Materiality

Tres Birds Workshop's Award-Winning Design for Uchi Restaurant in Denver

The project draws inspiration from Tres Birds Workshop's experience in Japan, with completed projects in Tokyo and Osaka. The design team aimed to create a dining experience that was both literal and visual, merging traditional Japanese design with a reuse/recycle sense of materiality specific to Denver. The result is a compelling balance of light and dark, achieved through the use of native lumber and reclaimed materials.

The restaurant's unique features include an eight-foot oculus above the dining room, providing views up to the greenhouse from which much of the restaurant's food is sourced. The raw lumber ceiling, which doubles as a sound-dampening feature, contrasts with the black accents around the room. Shoji screens add a touch of lightness, while the Austin restaurant’s iconic red flowered paper makes a bold statement.

One of the most striking elements of the design is the southern wall, a composite of reclaimed red and crystal bricks that refract the light as it streams into the dining room. This wall not only filters sunlight through the southern façade but also provides views out to the city skyline. It serves as a thermal wall and provides a sense of safety from the street.

The restaurant, completed in the Fall of 2018, encompasses a 5072 square foot ground level restaurant, plus 687 square feet of mechanical space on the second level. The design project explores the transfer of energy through sunlight, water, plant life, and human life, with a 7000 sf greenhouse sitting atop the seating space, supplying the kitchen with fresh organic greens throughout the year.

Uchi's design was awarded Silver in A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award in 2019, a testament to its outstanding expertise and innovation. The design not only supports the restaurant's mission of creating food with fresh ingredients in ways that defy expectations but also provides a sensory experience through the use of common regional materials in unexpected ways.