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Architects: Pranala Associates
- Area: 212 m²
- Year: 2019
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Photographs:KIE
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Manufacturers: AutoDesk, Conture Concrete Lab., Trimble Navigation
Text description provided by the architects. Kilogram is a 212 m2 coffee shop designed to meet the needs of coffeehouse and flexible working space.Beside the use of commercial purpose, the main purpose was to build a harmonious environment blends in discreetly with its surrounding working environment. It confines without being overly restrictive; a versatile laboratory for the daily routines.
Situated between the street and the front area of a colonial house built in the 1980s, the coffee shop stands as an extension to the house which operates daily as a shared office space; making it simply a broad veranda set against the existing structure.
Designed by Pranala Associatesin conjunction with Conture Concrete Lab, the program was a response to the increasing traffic within the office building and the vacant area previously used as carports for tenants. A multifunction platform to match the growing ecosystem was developed accordingly with particular concern on formal composition of the building façade, and separation of access between private users and public visitors. The role of collaboration is important to design’s outcomes, especially in the exploration of concrete finishes for the bar façade, semi-outdoor flooring and furniture.
The biggest challenge faced in the project is ensuring attachments of new structures into the predominantly existing building while employing minimal and non-intrusive building elements. To meet these needs, the massing should be first and foremost determined by the intended flow of users from the entryway, all the way to the stretch of open spaces bordering the west end area of the site. Steel grating and in-situ concrete flooring were employed to define the circulation and the seating areas respectively, bridging the new access from the existing building’s terrace. The lower ceiling makes the interior space more intimate, contrasting the adjacent patios which are rather open and flexible for social events.
The massing arranged perpendicular to the street and faces toward the office building’s entrance with the line of greeneries and steel grating pathway to welcome the incoming passersby. The element of walls is built in waist-high or stands alone as the entryway barrier. The almost non-existence of surface treatments unveil a tension between the roughness of the materials and impromptu adornments caused by the unexpected joints of in-situ concrete, concrete blocks, raw metals, or wooden panels.
