NEX has designed a spiral cafe with a rooftop garden in London, with curved windows that can retract fully.

Located in Chelsea, the building's spiralling form responds to a nearby listed wall with a slender off-white concrete colonnade that reveals the restaurant interior.

Behind the colonnade, the glazing is retractable, able to slide down into the basement. The dynamic glazing opens the ground floor during fine weather, allowing the restaurant to spill outside.

Accessible to the public via an external staircase, a planted roof garden promotes biodiversity and offers a place for people to relax among the tree canopies.

The building achieves a BREEAM Excellent rating, with the glazing forming part of a passive system to minimise energy consumption.

This project has been longlisted in the hospitality building category of Dezeen Awards 2020.

Architect: NEX
Project: Duke of York Restaurant
Read more: NEX