When eight shipping containers beach themselves outside the Southbank Centre, your first thought might be to call the Environmental Protection Agency. But this is no ordinary jetsam. In fact, Softroom Architects have made old into new by stacking the containers into a temporary two-storey restaurant, housing Mexican chain Wahaca’s latest branch.
The designers have achieved a remarkable warm feel to the place given the sterile nature of the starting materials, and diners are treated to wonderful river views thanks to the top-to-toe glass frontage. One of the top floor containers has been cleverly overhung to create a canopy at the front. Both outside and inside the Central American flavour is evident, with salsa red and guacamole green among the very recognisable Latin colour elements.
This snazzy (yes, I just used the word snazzy) installation won’t be around forever, so if you fancy some Mexican fodder with an environmental twist, you’d better get down to the Queen Elizabeth Hall in the next eighteen months or so, before the whole thing is packed up and shipped elsewhere. Catch it while you can.
Photography, Joseph Burns
