Goldmarie, Mainz | Germany

In the Mainz customs port area, directly on the waterfront of the Rhein inland port, the flamboyant Bistro Goldmarie opened in 2023 in the strikingly golden residential and commercial building "Pandion Doxx". The design concept of LNID mit hdg Architekten for the location used simultaneously as a bistro, restaurant, bar and event space is based on a detailed, consistently thought out, exciting colour play of different green tones, which were contrasted with a vibrant orange. It was the aim of the design team to awaken maritime associations consistent with its location in the harbour - from green underwater worlds to orange-coloured coral reefs, from the width of large ships to the narrowness of small boats.

The widely visible, shiny, solitary building by schneider+schumacher architects in collaboration with bb22 architekten + stadtplaner incorporates 168 freehold apartments as well as several smaller commercial units and restaurants on the ground floor. After its opening in 2021, the "Pandion Doxx" has quickly become the new landmark of the Mainz customs port. The building follows an organic double helix structure and is captivating in addition to its facade due to its unique location which is surrounded by water on three sides. At this special place on the water, the Bistro Goldmarie was opened on the ground floor with an outside terrace. The contrasting use of orange in the otherwise predominantly soft green rooms of the bistro gives the "Goldmarie" a distinctive identity and creates a special atmosphere.

The elongated floor plan adopted in the shell of the building bends in the middle and shows two strongly contrasting room heights. The high guest room with its glass facade offers a view of the water and the terrace. Permanently fixed bench seats, a bar with a counter and shelves form an external frame. The guest room itself can be flexibly furnished and used in different ways. The organic form of the fixtures and their colourfulness evoke the interior of large ferries and cargo ships or an "abstract layering of the depths of the sea" as Lukas Nobili describes it. The switches and sockets of JUNG LS 990 in the shade vert anglais pâle pick up the colour of the surroundings exactly and together form a tonal unit.

All the adjacent rooms such as the kitchen, staff rooms and guest toilets are highly condensed for the benefit of the spacious guest room and located in the lower area. To balance out the spatial narrowness, the interior designer decided on the extensive use of vibrant orange. The vivid colour runs uniformly over walls, ceilings and floors, over furniture and fittings to the JUNG LS 990 switches and sockets in the right colour shade of Les Couleurs® Le Corbusier in 4320S orange vif. The benefits of the Les Couleurs® network can be seen clearly here: colour tones of different products from various manufacturers can be exactly matched with each other – for example, the door handles FSB 1267 and FSB 4215 with the electrical products of JUNG from the LS range. To break up the severity of the colour design, there are discreetly placed orange-coloured accents in the green guest room.

While the proximity to the water and its reflective light through the large windows is an integral part of the interior of the Goldmarie, the vivid colour concept of the rooms can also be read from outside. With the Bistro Goldmarie, the Mainz customs port has not only obtained a culinary highlight but also architecturally the rooms fit in exceptionally with the total concept of the "Pandion Doxx". Well worth seeing That was also the opinion of the jury of the German Design Awards 2024 who selected the Bistro Goldmarie as the winner in the "Interior Architecture" category.