The Manser Practice was appointed as the executive architect to deliver the conversion of a Grade II* listed 18th Century house in Mayfair into a destination place for food, art and music.
Formerly the home of the Royal Institute of British Architects, the building had lain derelict for almost a decade. Despite its neglected state there was significant resistance to the conversion of an original James Wyatt house into a series of bars, a restaurant and a gallery space. We successfully liaised with heritage consultants to transform the building into an exciting modern venue, while restoring and preserving the most important elements of the Wyatt interior for future generations.
To enable the building to function successfully, the existing basement under the Gallery, West Bar and East Bar was extended to create the main preparation and finishing kitchens for the ground floor restaurants. A smaller kitchen was created on the first floor to serve the fine dining restaurant in the Library and Lecture rooms, with a new plant platform created to house the chiller units. Additional space was also created within the building with the construction of a new mezzanine floor in the original double-height East Gallery, which houses the distinctive egg-shaped toilets.
As well as balancing the conflicting demands of heritage with the practical requirements of fine dining and commercial kitchens (servicing, deliveries, chilled storage, etc.), the other challenge was integrating the client’s ambition for a mix of fine dining and fine art. Each space was designed by a different artist, which meant that we had to work as Lead Consultant to coordinate all these designs and make them buildable. The most famous are the egg-shaped toilet pods, designed by inflatable furniture designer Hans-Walter Müller. Originally intended to be inflatable, we suggested that these should instead be made of a more durable double-skinned GRP, with all the structure and services concealed between the inner and outer layers. These were fabricated by specialist boatbuilders, and have become so iconic that they are the only part of Sketch that has remained unchanged since it was first opened.
In 2019, the main façade was painstakingly repaired and redecorated. This involved the restoration of the original front door, windows, leadwork and parapets, as well as a detailed survey of the façade and research into the architectural paintwork, which resulted in the façade being repainted in its original colour.
Sketch was completed in 2003 and remains one of London’s best-known and most photographed restaurants.
