Restaurant 0 / Studio Kuidas.works

Architects: studio Kuidas.works
Year: 2021
Photographs: Tõnu Tunnel
Lead Architects: Maria Helena Luiga, Andrea Tamm, Henri Papson, Hannes Praks
Project Team: Malvo Tominga, Kaisa Sööt, Ann-Katriin Kelder, Kaarel Kuusk
Collaborator: UKU – Pure earth
City: Viljandi
Country: Estonia

Restaurant 0, a zero-waste pop-up by studio Kuidas.works for an Estonian TV show in Viljandi’s Old Town, illustrates how design can reduce the building industry’s ecological footprint. Constructed in seven days with no budget, the project transformed a 19th-century ruin using smart recycling and sustainable methods. Its centerpiece, a 15-ton rammed-earth table, was crafted from local clay and other minimal-impact materials, leaving less than 1% waste requiring future recycling. Hosting a one-night, 12-guest dinner, the restaurant featured reclaimed tableware and emphasized awareness of ecological issues. Winning the Estonian Interior Architects Union Award in 2021, this project embodies Kuidas.works’ commitment to promoting low-tech, sustainable design for public spaces.

A design studio develops a zero-waste, temporary restaurant for a TV show, exploring how design can highlight the environmental footprint of the building and design industries.

Last summer, the slow-tech spatial design studio kuidas.works (meaning “how?” in Estonian) was invited to participate in the Estonian TV series Restaurant 0, taking on the challenge of building a restaurant in seven days at zero cost through smart recycling. The restaurant was designed and constructed within the ruins of a 19th-century sausage shop in Viljandi’s Old Town, a small town in South Estonia. The project was awarded the Estonian Interior Architects Union Annual Award 2021 at the Estonian Architectural Awards gala.

Given the chance to create a restaurant from scratch with zero budget and minimal environmental impact, a design studio naturally faces the question of “how?” While recycling reduces the footprint of fast consumption, reused materials can still end up in landfills or incineration, and the recycling process itself can be costly and inefficient. With this in mind, the design team expanded the zero-expense approach in the TV show by introducing a conceptual centerpiece for the restaurant—a 15-ton rammed-earth table.

The table was an exploration of ancient, simple techniques, crafted using the rammed earth method with only hand tools and natural materials. Large quantities of clay were dried in the sun, sieved through an old mattress frame, transported by bucket, and finally compacted into a standing-height dining table. Mostly sourced locally from a nearby clay quarry, the earth displayed yellow and ochre tones typical of Devon-era soil, with darker red clay brought in from Lithuania. Other primary materials included sand for leveling the floor and lime paint to cover graffiti on the walls.

The volumes of clay and sand used could be easily reused; however, even if the rammed-earth table were left to decay, its materials would naturally decompose without impacting the environment. In total, less than 1% of materials—primarily tableware—would require recycling later. The tableware was crafted from reclaimed site materials: wooden trays from old floorboards, bowls cut from 3-liter glass jars, steel plates, and copper tube sleeves repurposed as stands for drinking glasses.

The pop-up restaurant was designed to host 12 guests for a one-night-only, four-course dinner. The standing table encouraged a mindful, attentive dining experience, grounding guests in their surroundings and purpose. This departure from comfort was intentional, underscoring the ecological issues at the heart of the show. The design here serves not just for comfort but as a tool to spotlight the heavy environmental footprint of the design and building industries. The concept ultimately questions whether simple, low-impact technology is viable or if alternative solutions are required.

Currently, the team at kuidas.works seeks new challenges to introduce low-tech design and building methods into public spaces, viewing these techniques as upgrades rather than downgrades. The studio aims to shift the paradigm, bringing natural building methods and materials from the margins into the mainstream.