© Eduardo Macarios
- Architects: Studio Boscardin.Corsi Arquitetura
- Location: Alameda Prudente de Moraes, 1227 – Centro, Curitiba – PR, 80430-234, Brazil
- Architects In Charge: Ana Carolina Boscardin, Edgard Corsi
- Area: 3.95 m2
- Project Year: 2018
- Photographs: Eduardo Macarios
© Eduardo Macarios
Text description provided by the architects. To transform small urban fragments, sensitize, bring a new concept and also change the routine of the people. The modern cities, so consolidated in their centers, almost leave no room for expansion. However, it is a mistake to think so, because there are small urban slots that can be adapted if you have a vision of urban and commercial architecture. A small service door, formerly unusable by the restaurant next door and seemed to have no grace at all, has been seen as a potential spot and turned into a business.
Floor Plan
And it was with this vision, inspired by Japanese simplicity and minimalism, that The Coffee. appears. Amid the turmoil of today’s world and day-to-day running, where time is money and caffeine is needed to restore the energies, nothing is more providential than a “takeaway” style coffee. Or, those who have more time enjoy coffee standing on the sidewalk or sitting on the bench in front. Before the sidewalk that gave space to the pedestrian movement, today is a meeting point, there are queues and experiences that did not exist before. And it is part of the whole project, integrated with the concept of the space.
© Eduardo Macarios
The architecture project is related to the concept of The Coffee, minimal and functional. And, to stand out from the other buildings on the side, the option was to verticalize the facade so that, even narrow, it gained an imposing. With a contrasting color and unusual materials, the coffee shop loosened from the sides. The composition of materials is simple. Metal strips, light wood, and an acrylic box that, when lit, reveals the best: light. The light cube, in acrylic, it is the focal point of the coffee, marking the entrance, making the protection on rainy days and shining at nightfall (and also on typical cloudy days in Curitiba).
© Eduardo Macarios
Now about the biggest challenge: the inner area. The small interior of 3sqm did not allow for many layout possibilities. The espresso machine should be positioned so that the barista is always on the customer’s side, never on his back. The idea of the slats, present in the facade, enter inside but here, in another material. The slatted in light wood makes the bottom part and the lining of the coffee and plays with the light.
Internal Elevation
In addition, as a side finish, the black subway tile, very urban, like the whole concept of the coffee shop. As you approach the workbench, you can place the order through the tablet and wait to retrieve your coffee. Meanwhile, you can have a good chat with the barista, who already knows the whole movement of the street. Cosmopolitan, urban and timeless. So The Coffee is not just an architectural proposition, it is an experience, a new way of customer service relationship, a new way of interacting with the public space.
© Eduardo Macarios