Coffee Bar in San Francisco by jones | haydu

Article source: v2com

jones | haydu has won a Merit Award for Interior Architecture from the American Institute of Architects San Francisco for their work on Coffee Bar Kearny.The primary objective for this tiny cafe in the heart of downtown San Francisco was to bring epicurean level coffee at a rate and speed to meet the Financial District’s demands while simultaneously revitalizing a stretch of sidewalk that has been fallow for over twenty years. Coffee Bar serves as a workshop to explore, experiment, and embrace the trends of the coffee industry.

View from across Kearny Street, Image Courtesy © Art Gray

• Architects: jones | haydu 
• Project: Coffee Bar
• Location: San Francisco, California, United States
• Photography: Art Gray

Entrance, Image Courtesy © Art Gray

The cafe sits at the entrance to Saint Mary’s Garage, located centrally on the block of Kearny Street directly across from the Bank of America plaza. This stretch of sidewalk has been plagued by vacancy: adjacent lies a neglected lot, and the space itself has been empty for at least twenty years. After the Loma Prieta earthquake, the garage underwent seismic upgrades.

Entrance, Image Courtesy © Art Gray

View of pour over station, menu board, Image Courtesy © Art Gray

This placed a large concrete shear wall between the space and the sidewalk, effectively making it undesirable for retail. In an effort to bring life back to this crucial pedestrian zone, the concrete shear wall was opened, connecting the space to the sidewalk. In order to reduce waste, materials were used sparingly. Instead of covering up an othewise rough shell, existing concrete and piping were refreshed and left exposed, celebrating their industrial character.

View of barista station, Image Courtesy © Art Gray

Detail of display, Image Courtesy © Art Gray

Utilizing the Japanese Shou Sugi Ban technique, the exterior wood siding is scorched, a process which inherently prolongs the life of the wood. Above the opening, the scorching fades into the wood’s natural color. On the left, at pedestrian level, the scorched wood wraps to the interior, becoming the main intervention: a black frame surrounding the baristas.

View through entrance to Kearny Street, Image Courtesy © Art Gray

Image Courtesy © Art Gray

This black frame becomes a room within a room, emphasizing the artistry of the barista through a minimal use of materials and high efficiency lighting. The blackened steel counter provides a stark backdrop for the finished product, and will patina over time.

Overall panorama, Image Courtesy © Art Gray

Image Courtesy © Art Gray

Detail of back counter, Image Courtesy © Art Gray

Detail at display shelving, Image Courtesy © Art Gray

Site Plan, Image Courtesy © jones | haydu

Plan, Image Courtesy © jones | haydu

About jones | haydu

jones | haydu is a dynamic, award winning San Francisco based firm, established in 2004 by principals Hulett Jones and Paul Haydu. The principals’ expertise combines over forty years experience and includes civic, academic, recreational, retail, restaurant, hospitality, commercial, and residential projects in several states.

Their design approach centers on the search for ideas and concepts particular to each client, program, and site, and is informed by the unique nature of each project.  At the core of this approach is the goal of having the architecture enrich the experience of the end users.  They look to light, space, material, and form to create these experiences and deepen their connection to the building, site, and community.  Ideally, the realized form will resonate and communicate with the senses in both measurable and immeasurable ways.

Tags: San Francisco, United States

Category: Cafe

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