- Brand new 100-seater focal point for use by the wider community
- An award-winning, eco-friendly design and build to rejuvenate East Suffolk’s waterfront
- Working in partnership with GS Contracts who completed phase 1 of the fit-out
Introduction
The ifse team are extremely proud to have designed, delivered and installed the new restaurant and café situated in Martello Park – a recently completed and truly rare community building that boasts phenomenal coastal views.
Working in partnership with East Suffolk Council, Plaice Architecture, GS Contracts and Barnes Construction, the £1.5 million purposefully raised building presents beautiful panoramic views of the bay ranging from the pier to the estuary and the prominent Martello Tower.
Brief
With John Moores spearheading the project from start to finish, ifse were tasked with designing and fitting the interior of the restaurant and café space, including the indoor restaurant servery area, gelato and coffee bar, as well as the indoor and outdoor customer seating area.
What ifse Did
Situated within Martello Park, an area of outstanding natural beauty, sustainability was at the heart of the design for the Martello Café, with the commercial kitchen utilising a fully electric and state-of-the-art Electrolux Professional suite of equipment that featured all-induction cooking technology, to ensure low-running costs whilst minimizing wasted heat output and strain on the ventilation system.
Designing a kitchen within a circular building footprint proved an interesting challenge from the outset. Our design team, led by Sally Medina, were able to rise to the task and put forward a scheme for the space that was ergonomic and operationally maximised the storage in untraditional places. A variety of seating is on offer, with 100 seats carefully balanced between the indoor and outdoor eating spaces allowing nature lovers, dog walkers and cyclists to enjoy a coffee and cake accompanied by a unique picturesque view.
Freshly prepared, hot breakfast and lunch foods are also served from the newly installed restaurant servery area for more hungry explorers. The counter featured eye-catching rose-gold metallic cladding to the front of the unit, juxtaposed against more muted colour pattern behind the bar.
Bright accent colours and elements of biophilic design are scattered throughout the building, including a vibrant living wall feature and foliage hanging from the concertina ceiling design, bearing in mind the environmentally friendly scope of the café.
The green is contrasted by marine blue notes spread around the café that gently remind you of the nearby sea, like the neon pink ‘Beside the Seaside’ sign that hangs amongst the living walls.
Result
Despite a difficult start due to pandemic restrictions, the entire project was an enormous success and as a result, the Martello Café was awarded the highly commended RIBA Suffolk Award 2022 and was also shortlisted for both the Small Project of the Year Building Awards 2022 and the Award for Excellence in Architectural Technology.
Working very closely with the architect for the green and eco-friendly build and fit, ifse supported the local community building in fulfilling its purpose of becoming an iconic building and focal point for the Felixstowe South Seafront regeneration that is loved and popular amongst the wider community.
Claire Marshall, Director of The Kitchen Group, said about the project:
“There are not many cafés or restaurants that have that [the seafront] view. We wanted to keep it light, bright, and airy. The space is getting stronger and stronger and that will take us into 2023 and we’ll see what happens then…”
John Moore, Sales Director at ifse and point of contact for the project, added:
“This was a fantastic project that I am proud to have been part of. As a local to Felixstowe myself, this redevelopment was exactly what the town needed. ifse and I thoroughly enjoyed designing and fitting out this space and the wider team were a pleasure to work with – we look forward to partnering with them again in the future”
