Ampersand's London Zoo restaurant scoops design award
Caterer Ampersand's Terrace Restaurant at ZSL London Zoo has scooped a London Design Award one year after its relaunch following a £4.6m revamp.
Chartered architect firm SHH, which designed and oversaw the renovation, was presented with the award last week at an event held at the Old Truman Brewery, in London. The awards aim to celebrate excellent design and recognise commissioners of design projects.
The restaurant was recognised for the quality of its interior design, which was an integral element in the restoration of the Zoo's historic Regent's Building.
The space features a double height 40ft ceiling spanning the dining area and is overlooked by a mezzanine level that leads onto an upper terrace deck with views across the zoo.
Designed to marry architectural sensitivity with culinary scale, seating capacity is 700 covers, making makes it one of the UK's biggest day visitor restaurants. The Terrace Restaurant can also be converted to host event for up to 600 guests.
Paul Jackson, managing director of Ampersand, welcomed the award as another milestone in the caterer's partnership with ZSL London Zoo.
"We will continue delivering leading edge, creative ideas and services to enhance visitors' experiences, and in turn deliver financial return for our client," he said.
SHH's creative director Neil Hogan added: "The Terrace Restaurant at ZSL London Zoo was a very important project for SHH studio, allowing us to showcase the best of both our architectural and our hospitality interiors talents.
"Getting the Gold Award in the Hospitality Category at the inaugural London Design Awards is the absolute icing on the cake to what has been an exciting year."
