Contrasting the artificial light source with the natural light source helps to blur the boundary between the interior and exterior space.
– Keng-Fu Lo

Chain10 Architecture's third restaurant design for the Zuo Mali chain takes into account commercial, experiential and sustainable aspects to create an environmentally-conscious venue where visitors can relax and feel refreshed.

The Green Isle restaurant covers 5,950sq m (64,000sq ft) and was intentionally located close to a subway line in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, so as to minimise the need for employees and customers to travel there in their own vehicles.

Set in a relatively un-built-up area of the city and with open space around it, there is a limited amount of nearby nighttime lighting. As such, lighting was used as a functional element, to help create an ambience within the restaurant and to highlight it from outside.

Ball lamps float on the surface of an exterior pool and an array of tall grass-like lights are planted into a lawn along one side of the building.

There are around 250 trees surrounding the building, which provide the first sense of the restaurant's green credentials and help to offset its carbon emissions.

Guests enter across a bridge spanning a 120m (394ft) landscape pool. This contributes to the sense of naturality and serenity in the space, but it also reduces the internal temperature by around 1 to 2°C and acts as a natural way to reduce pollutants and dust in the air.

Inside, the space is centred around a glass arboretum that introduces more greenery and allows natural light in, as do large windows around the edge of the space.

Lead designer for the project Keng-Fu Lo said: "Contrasting the artificial light source with the natural light source helps to blur the boundary between the interior and exterior space. This gives the consumers more opportunities to fully enjoy the beauty of the natural environment and the aesthetics of indoor artificial lighting."

Materials for the construction of the space were carefully selected, with exterior walls painted rather than clad or dressed with more environmentally detrimental options and traditionally imported materials like marble were sourced locally.

Simple decorations were chosen rather than anything too elaborate and items in the restaurant were chosen based on recycling and sustainability, with replaceable elements where possible ensuring their efficient use over the years.