The river "Maas" flows through the city of Maastricht, dividing it into two halves. It separates but equally connects. In its passage it reflects the city and the sky above it. These characteristics - the contradiction in separating, connecting and mirroring - form the base for the concept, layout and brand identity of the new Bar Bistro at MECC Maastricht.

Bar Bistro SAAM is the restaurant in the renovated congress centre of MECC Maastricht. Initiator MECC Maastricht wanted to create a place for visitors to meet and relax, but also for local residents, students and businesses.

For a resident of Maastricht we wanted SAAM to feel like coming home, but for a visitor of the city we wanted them to experience a whole new world

This idea, along with other characteristic elements of Maastricht, has been subtly translated into the interior design and branding. The layout and division of space mirror the Maas. A central, broad gesture distinguishes itself through the use of materials, colors and height differences withiin the center of the space and connects various facets and functions with each other. This central element contains all the core functions such as the open kitchen, stairs to the second floor, bar and stage.

And the arches of the Sint Servaas bridge were the inspiration for the design of the table legs.

In the interior we incorporated with subtle elements related to the Maas and the city of Maastricht. On the ceiling we placed different 'mirrored discs' that symbolise the reflection of the water.

Some of these discs rotate slowly indicating the movement of the water and therefor creating a subte reflection within the bistro. 

Not every visitor, who visits the MECC because of an international congress, has time to discover the city of Maastricht. To bring the city to the MECC, we asked Roger Huskens - a Grafisch Designer and artist from Maastricht - to capture the most iconic buildings of the city through his signature pen drawings. The result are six drawings ranging from hypermodern to very classic but yet typical buildings of Maastricht .

Read more about the brand identity of SAAM in our article:

SAAM - the brand