%阿拉比卡上海世博店丨中国上海丨Nguyen Khai Architects & Associates

Architects:Nguyen Khai Architects & Associates

Area:179m²

Year:2025

Photographs:Runzi Zhu

Lead Architects:Nguyen Quang Khai

Program / Use / Building Function:Coffee Shop

City:Shanghai

Country:China

Text description provided by the architects. Surrounded by many commercial towers and office buildings, this % Arabica store boasts its prime position as the heart of a relaxing and chilling space. It welcomes customers from many directions, with choices of indoor and outdoor seating.

Inspired by the idea of a pavilion and the philosophy of the brand, our approach is to simply create a range of white-painted mesh strips, which constantly change in size and shape, to achieve the effect of a tunnel that brings safe and cozy feelings for every person stepping in. The opacity of the mesh material plays a role as an ambiguous partition between indoor and outdoor seating to ensure adequate comfort and privacy.

The interior space mainly includes three layers: the furniture, the tunnel, and the greenery, all following a symmetrical arrangement. The two opposite entrance doors conveniently divide the store into two spaces: the counter and the seating area, with a curved waiting bench in the middle as a sign of space transition. While the counter is shining "under the spotlight," the indoor seating is illuminated brightly under the light of the hanging Chemex lamp.

For the exterior views, the white tunnel appears under different effects from the customers' viewpoint when moving around the store. The usage of outdoor furniture is to ensure its mission as a brand identity, a supplement, not a distraction from the core element of the design. The checkered-style planters that carry tiny plants are interleaved between the seating to create a necessary distance for each group of people gathering and enjoying the outdoor atmosphere.

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