With the Susuru restaurant, Prevalent
introduced a bright-white concept that
even extends to the soya sauce bottles.a ramen and gyoza bar, makes its mark.
‘Where we could, we used local fabricators,’
says Berwick, ‘particularly to reinvigorate the
metal industry in the city with designs for
furniture instead of mining equipment.’
The stark, sterile interior would stand
out in any metropolitan hotspot, but it’s even
more dramatic in Newcastle: a town transi-
tioning to a city. ‘Everyone remembers what
was,’ says Berwick. ‘We needed to enliven the
façade of our section of the building, to shake
the former use as a much-loved, older-style,
high-end homewares store. The town council
was involved from initial concept through to
opening. The building had been vacant for a
number of years, and given its prominence
they were keen to see its redevelopment. We
pushed not only to change the colour but also
to separate the restaurant from the rest of the
building. The council supported us, knowing
that a design so disparate from its homoge-
nous surroundings is crucial as a town grows
to the size of a city.’It was something city-specific – Tokyo’s
metro station and train design – that
inspired Prevalent’s interior for Susuru.
Recycled felt acoustic panels in yellow –
a Susuru brand colour – interrupt an
otherwise bright-white concept that even
extends to the soya sauce bottles. ‘The white
tabletops show the cleanliness of a table to
customers as they arrive, as well as the spills
and splashes of ramen when diners have
finished; the restaurant’s name means “slurp”
in Japanese. The central table incorporates
“pockets”. These recessed dividers were
our answer to how to make Westerners feel
comfortable eating alone – a common prac-
tice in ramen restaurants in Japan – while
also accommodating groups.’
Berwick feels the ‘future aesthetic
of Newcastle is open to interpretation.
I certainly hope it reflects the diversity of
its residents, just as the census reflects the
diversity of Australia’s population.’ – TI
prevalent.archi‘The future
aesthetic of
Newcastle
is open to
interpretation’124 SPACES