Peru is a country that accounts for more than 70% of the biodiversity of the entire Planet. A heterogeneous landscape, but at the same time in perfect balance. To tell (and understand) this extraordinary characteristic, chefs Virgilio Martinez and Pía León asked the multidisciplinary architecture firm Estudio Rafael Freyre to create a place capable of enclosing the diversity of ecosystems present in their country. The Central Restaurant houses the restaurant Kjolle, the Mayo bar and the Mater Iniciativa, a center for biological and cultural studies of Peruvian biodiversity and culinary projects where you can have a great variety of experiences.

Rafael Freyre’s design has made the most of Peru’s cultural and traditional heritage, which is based on the craftsmanship of stones and other natural elements. Once you cross the threshold you are wrapped in walls and floors, made of earth from the coastal desert, Andean stones and fence systems made of wood from the Amazon forests. Tablecloths and fabrics are obtained from an ancient technique of weaving loom and furniture is made from carved stone or hand crafted copper and bronze. In some cases it was even used the ancient technique of quincha, a construction system in reed and mud used in the Andes since pre-Columbian times.

The Central Restaurant, more than a restaurant, is a real experience, able to tell the story of a country and a landscape that enters into the spaces designed by the Peruvian studio. A continuum between organic matter and architectural materiality.