Tapered Café
| Client | Handcraft Coffee |
| Program | Interior Refurbishment (F&B) |
| Area | 37 m² |
| Status | Completed |
| Team Members | Kevin Lim |
| Ashwin Bafna | |
| Material Collaborators |
Kenopy -kenaf biocomposite light panels (material research collaboration between Affordable and Studio SKLIM |
|
Recycled coffee grounds boards (A1 Environmental) |
|
| Lighting Collaborator | 42 Degrees Asia |
| Photography | Ong Chan Hao / Studio SKLIM |
| Year of Completion | 2021 |
A narrow café is diagonally divided into tapered volumes for enhanced customer and efficient coffee preparation zones.
The café sits in a narrow space under a mature public housing estate at Everton Park in Singapore. The premises was diagonally divided to create tapered volumes which splay out at opposite ends for an enhanced customer zone and a wider usable coffee preparation at the other. This created opportunities to distribute the coffee functions linearly and progressively accommodate a larger customer reception.
The two diagonal datums comprising a series of both base and elevated prisms add both visual and functional layers (feet space) to the space. The elevated datum of prisms displays the colour spectrum associated with coffee fruits during ripening while the base datum of prisms captures the progressive spectrum associated with the coffee beans roasting process. The introduction of sustainable and circular-driven building materials was manifested by two main materials. Firstly, discarded coffee grounds were collected and made into boards in varying shades of browns (these natural colours are derived from different species of beans and roasting methods). Some of the coffee grounds were also collected from the client’s other café to be reconstituted as panels, using them in a circular fashion. The other material which was used to create the light panels feature biocomposite boards made from kenaf plant fibres and binders (which we term as Kenopy) and moulded into prism profiles. To achieve the various shades of yellow to orange hues, a mixture of organic dyes made from beetroot, turmeric and krill extracts were used to soak the fibres. When backlit, these panels showcase the natural textures of the fibres in higher definition, adding to the ambience of the cafe.
Inspired from Italian standing espresso bars, the café provides a more intimate drinking experience with the barista and situates the customer in closer proximity to the sights, smells, and gurgling sounds of coffee brewing. The long countertop was staggered at various heights to subtly demarcate the customer areas and to avoid any accidental spillage onto the equipment. A portion of the counter was also fitted with castor wheels to facilitate greater flexibility when shifting kitchen equipment and supplies.
To visually enhance the tapered spatial zoning, the adjacent wall was clad with bronze mirrors to reflect and provide another dimension to the narrow space. The overall atmosphere was designed to be a dark and cosy environment where the process of the coffee experience is heightened and visually curated with the associated colour spectrums of the coffee fruits and beans processes.
