HAPPY CAMPER
Provided: Full Service Architecture + Interior Design + General Contracting
Location: Denver, CO
Completed: Summer 2020
Happy Camper is a Chicago based restaurant and bar known for its exceptional food and ambiance. They reached out to Tres Birds to design and build their first location in Denver at an existing building in Denver's Highlands neighborhood.
The existing building featured some re-useable structure but presented a real problem in terms of siting. The building was located in the back of the site with a parking layout that did nothing to take advantage of its prominent location on an active corner.
Tres Birds was able to remedy this problem with a creative parking reduction that allowed the exterior seating area to push all the way out to the corner of the site. We used gabion walls as fence and retaining elements to break up the space and manage the grade. Ultimately, we were able to create an active exterior dining space to replace the unused parking lot that had previously occupied the corner. Grade changes, steel and timber overhead elements, concrete culverts, and landscaping all serve to break this large exterior space into smaller, distinct niches; each with their own character.
That concept continues to the interior of the building as well. Massive overhead doors allow the bar to completely open; creating a real connection with the exterior dining space. As in the exterior spaces, changes in overhead heights and finishes create distinct niches within the larger dining room. The end result is a space that can feel intimate despite being large and cohesive despite being varied.
Location: Denver, CO
Completed: Summer 2020
Happy Camper is a Chicago based restaurant and bar known for its exceptional food and ambiance. They reached out to Tres Birds to design and build their first location in Denver at an existing building in Denver's Highlands neighborhood.
The existing building featured some re-useable structure but presented a real problem in terms of siting. The building was located in the back of the site with a parking layout that did nothing to take advantage of its prominent location on an active corner.
Tres Birds was able to remedy this problem with a creative parking reduction that allowed the exterior seating area to push all the way out to the corner of the site. We used gabion walls as fence and retaining elements to break up the space and manage the grade. Ultimately, we were able to create an active exterior dining space to replace the unused parking lot that had previously occupied the corner. Grade changes, steel and timber overhead elements, concrete culverts, and landscaping all serve to break this large exterior space into smaller, distinct niches; each with their own character.
That concept continues to the interior of the building as well. Massive overhead doors allow the bar to completely open; creating a real connection with the exterior dining space. As in the exterior spaces, changes in overhead heights and finishes create distinct niches within the larger dining room. The end result is a space that can feel intimate despite being large and cohesive despite being varied.
