The Upper Crust – Boston, Massachusetts

Located on Boston’s historic
Charles Street, Upper Crust is
 designed as both a neighbourhood
 pizza joint and “culinary boutique”.







Given its sensitive location among other high-end businesses, the establishment addressed this paradoxical scenario through a design that’s at once economical and extraordinary. Exposed to the street through a large storefront vitrine (a glassed-in cabinet or case), the main dining area features a wood floor and aluminium ceiling, both absorbing multiple functions by way of continuous surfaces that navigate varied geometries in accordance with programmatic, technical and spatial mandates.
Cherry wood slats wrap down the wall as wainscot panelling, continue as flooring, ascending onto a communal table for the clientele and terminating as a higher surface for the chef’s pounding board. Similarly, a suspended ceiling wraps the existing HVAC equipment, diffusers and sprinkler heads, creating a quilted canopy overhead.

Fabricated from laser-cut aluminium panels, the folded and bent surface produces a continuous geometry appearing as a single figure. Both theatrical and monumental in composure, the ceiling and floor capitalise on their relationship with the street to make a strong iconic presence.