Phone
(903) 583-7500
Project Overview
Pearl Dive Oyster Palace in Washington, DC, uses a custom Renlita Float vertical opening to connect its interior restaurant space with exterior bar seating. Located within a historic building, the restaurant needed a pass-through that could support indoor-outdoor service while working within the distinctive arched geometry of the existing façade.
The finished 13’-wide by 8’-tall opening functions as both a glazed exterior enclosure and a pass-through bartop. Rather than modifying the arched opening to accommodate a standard rectangular door, the Float was custom engineered to follow its existing shape while preserving usable counter space below.
The Challenge
Pearl Dive Oyster Palace needed to create a functional restaurant pass-through within an existing 13’-wide by 8’-tall arched opening. A standard rectangular door configuration would not follow the geometry of the opening, making architectural integration with the existing façade a central design constraint.
The opening also needed to support service between the interior restaurant and exterior seating without occupying the bartop or surrounding floor space. Because the system forms part of the exterior enclosure when closed, it also needed glazing and perimeter sealing appropriate for separating the restaurant from outdoor conditions.
The Solution
Renlita engineered a custom Float vertical lift system (formerly the S-1000 Floataway) specifically for the arched opening at Pearl Dive Oyster Palace. The 13’-wide by 8’-tall system was shaped to follow the existing arch and incorporates 1” dual-pane insulated glass, allowing the closed door to maintain the geometry and glazed character of the exterior opening.
The Float uses a manual counterweight system to move the large glazed panel vertically at the opening without conventional overhead tracks extending across the occupied restaurant space. When raised, the system clears the bartop for direct interaction and service between the interior restaurant and exterior seating area.
When closed, the insulated glazed panel and perimeter weather seals provide separation between the restaurant and exterior conditions. This configuration allowed Pearl Dive Oyster Palace to add an operable indoor-outdoor restaurant opening without converting the existing arch into a standard rectangular opening or sacrificing the counter below it.
Key Benefits
Pass-Through Bar Service
The Float raises vertically above the bartop, leaving the counter available for restaurant service when the system is open. This creates a direct connection between Pearl Dive Oyster Palace’s interior and exterior seating areas, allowing staff to serve across the 13’-wide opening without requiring the door to occupy floor or counter space.
Seasonal Indoor-Outdoor Flexibility
The Float allows Pearl Dive Oyster Palace to open the bar directly to exterior seating during favorable weather and enclose the opening when conditions change. When closed, the 1” dual-pane insulated glass and perimeter weather seals separate the interior restaurant from outdoor conditions while maintaining visibility through the glazed opening.
Custom Arched Opening
The Float was custom engineered to follow the existing arched geometry rather than requiring the façade to accommodate a standard rectangular door. This allows the 13’-wide operable opening to support contemporary restaurant service while retaining the distinctive shape that defines this portion of the historic exterior.