Guerilla Coffee is a flagship brick-and-mortar manifestation of Caffeine Solutions, a coffee company steeped in a rich history of providing full-service wholesale coffee solutions. Situated on the ground floor of Suntec City Tower 2, the cafe sits adjacent to the mall’s main entrance that opens up to a skylit atrium.
The client’s brief is simple, to implement a fresh/radical cafe typology that would spotlight the craft of specialty coffee and for the space to behave accessibly. From this, the concept of The Craft of Coffee as Theatre was extrapolated as the anchoring narrative.
The first of the 3 main drivers informing the design is a radial scheme that centres the theatrical craft of coffee making while pushing the audience to the edges of the space, organically creating a simple concentric circulation that is optimised for a better viewing experience.
The client’s brief is simple, to implement a fresh/radical cafe typology that would spotlight the craft of specialty coffee and for the space to behave accessibly. From this, the concept of The Craft of Coffee as Theatre was extrapolated as the anchoring narrative.
The first of the 3 main drivers informing the design is a radial scheme that centres the theatrical craft of coffee making while pushing the audience to the edges of the space, organically creating a simple concentric circulation that is optimised for a better viewing experience.
By placing the coffee bar at the front of the cafe, the radial scheme includes the wider context that is the atrium and beyond.
Another key idea was to frame the baristas by lowering the cafe’s facade and focusing the aperture thus composing a richer sense of arrival. The last design element propping up the narrative is the implementation of plywood tiered theatre seating/steps which directly responds to its effectiveness within a radial scheme and yet convinces a casual and relaxed setting.
The earthy palette of timber, stone and mud addresses as well as breaks the third wall unifying the viewing experience with being intrinsically part of the craft.
Another key idea was to frame the baristas by lowering the cafe’s facade and focusing the aperture thus composing a richer sense of arrival. The last design element propping up the narrative is the implementation of plywood tiered theatre seating/steps which directly responds to its effectiveness within a radial scheme and yet convinces a casual and relaxed setting.
The earthy palette of timber, stone and mud addresses as well as breaks the third wall unifying the viewing experience with being intrinsically part of the craft.