USA. Santa Monica, California-based design company Akarstudios says the Areas-run Novecientos Grados by Tony Hawk restaurant and bar will become a focal point of the new San Diego International Airport Terminal 1 expansion when it debuts in September 2025.
Areas US is developing the project in collaboration with Tony Hawk and celebrity chef Claudette Zepeda.
As an integral component of the new terminal structure, the restaurant and bar space will occupy approximately 5,000sq ft in the terminal wing’s departures zone.
It will comprise an island bar, a tarmac-facing dining space and an outdoor patio. The design of the flagship food & beverage venue draws inspiration from San Diego’s urban skateboard parks and historic quarter.
The restaurant’s distinct spaces will be interconnected and flow into one another, while retaining their individual design identities, Akarstudios said.
The bar’s architectural design is conceived as a sculptural form incorporating a series of sweeping ramps covered with colourful artwork hovering above a cantilevered steel canopy.
The front face of the bar will be formed by illuminated glass panels imprinted with vibrant Mexican embroidery patterns, adding a heightened sense of connection with the city’s historic Old Town district.
The double-height dining space will utilise the terminal’s tall glazing to enable transparency to the exterior. Colourful skateboards will be mounted to a suspended canopy feature to add additional points of visual interest.
The outdoor terrace will be visible from the main bar, making it visually connected to the interior spaces. A fabric canopy with festive string lights and low-slung seating will create a desirable patio seating space affording distant views of the city’s skyline from the rooftop location.
Retail and self-ordering stations with customised artwork will be positioned within the restaurant space, enabling visible connectivity and enhancing the ordering process.
The design details include blackened steel beams and posts, imprinted wood panels, colourful skateboards, concrete pendants, laminated glass panels and seating with mix of finishes, alongside materials such as textured fabrics, concrete finishes, and skate ramp panels.
Akarstudios is a multi-disciplinary design practice that works across various sectors, including architecture, interior design, branding and lighting design. The company also created the branding and logo design for the Novecientos Grados. 
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