The Deli Loop restaurant houses three programmatic components: a café, delicatessen and food preparation area. The 8,575-square-foot restaurant is designed with an emphasis on separating the café and delicatessen, passive and active solar design strategies, indigenous materials and local labor.
The restaurant is situated between Lazar Cardenas (Federal Highway 1), which runs parallel to the Pacific Ocean to the west, and Las Dumas to the east. The street side of the café and deli faces the ocean. The south-facing elevation opens to 50 feet of glazing that is the main entry to the building.
The building is on a 200-foot by 100-foot irregular sloping site. There’s an 8-foot elevation change from back to front. The street side of the building was slightly elevated and the rear was partially buried, so the first floor could be a continuously level ground floor that did not need to be terraced.
White metal wall panels reduce solar heat gain and perforated panels provide sunshading to the café’s outdoor dining area. EME+Q Edificios Prefabricados installed 4,600 square feet of metal wall panels. It installed 4,100 square feet MBCI’s 24-gauge 7.2 Panels in Polar White with Valspar Corp.’s Flurothane Coastal coating. It installed an additional 500 square feet of the same panels, perforated with 3/4-inch round holes on 1-inch staggered centers (51 percent open area).
Indigenous building techniques and materials were used to minimize outsourcing and importing. Recycled, renewable and high-performance materials and products were specified throughout the project including insulation made from recycled material.
Energy conserving elements include energy-efficient appliances, fluorescent lighting, double-pane windows, water-saving, dual-flush toilets, tankless water heaters and reclaimed water for toilets, utensils and non-potable water uses. Operable skylights provide ventilation.
The delicatessen has a wine bar, bakery, deli service and coffee bar. The food preparation area is composed of a bakery, kitchen, back-of-house space and storage space. The second floor has offices, a private dining area for small events and restrooms. Bicycle parking and an outdoor waiting area are next to the entry. The project was completed in October 2016.
