Whisky & Ramen Remodel

Work

Modern Dining: Renovation created speakeasy-style restaurant experience

DCI Engineers successfully led the remodel of the Whisky & Ramen retail space by integrating a new two-story wood-framed structure to an existing three-story concrete building. The owner’s desire was to have the restaurant seating recessed in the basement with most of the main floor removed to provide a 2-story built environment. DCI maintained the building’s planned function by designing vertical and horizontal steel wide flanged beams to span from the roof to the basement floor and across the large main floor opening. The new framing system braced the existing basement walls of the building and provided more basement dining space than previously planned.

Location:

Anchorage, Alaska

Square Feet:

6,704

Stories:

2-3

Service:

Structural

Industries:

Commercial, Tenant Improvements

Primary Material:

Concrete, Steel, Wood

Project Highlights

The new restaurant portion is now integrated with the concrete back-of-house, where the kitchen area resides.
They also designed structural elements for an enlarged elevator system; a 4-foot wide suspended wood bridge spanning across the open main floor; and stairwells for customers to descend into the basement dining area.
The team kept the original concrete structure’s lateral system to avoid a full jurisdictional building submittal.

Awards and Certifications

2022 Historic Preservation Award, Alaska Association for Historic Preservation, Adaptive Use of Building

Paul D. Rogness

Principal, Anchorage

PE, SE

As an engineer, I like the whole process, from conceptual design through construction. However, during the beginning, schematic design phase, using our experience and creativity to determine the most efficient structural solution that meets the architectural needs is probably the most rewarding part of the design process.”

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