This tired & neglected commercial building on a high profile Hamilton site, was in dire need of attention! The circa 1960’s building with an overall foot print of 276m2, was composed of 2 tenancies, and required major reconfiguration and upgrading to make it ‘fit for purpose’!

We were approached by our client who recognised the huge opportunity this Five Cross Roads space presented.  They were keen to transform it into the first of their North Island stores, within the successful coffee franchise – Coffee Culture.

Their requirements were specific & clear – to create a high end, boutique coffee store (both internally & externally) that complemented and positively represented the Coffee Culture brand.

Their brief called for the creation of a number of purpose built spaces to allow their coffee franchise to operate successfully.

This project represents a very close collaboration between client & designer.  Our client had a clear vision & gave clear direction as to the overall internal aesthetic they wanted to achieve.  We worked closely with them to ensure that the internal footprint/flow and external aesthetics were perfectly aligned with their desired outcome.  

Specific Client Requests

·         Timeless & sophisticated interior/exterior each with a ‘high end’ feel

·         Specialised internal spaces – small coffee roasting area , kitchen for food preparation and handling, office space from which to base head office, and a number of sitting & relaxation areas for patrons

Site & Building Challenges

·         Working with existing roof forms & foot print

·         Varying floor levels

·         Drainage issues & sub-standard pipe work

Creative Solutions & Design Features

To create a robust, timeless and sophisticated store the decision was made to embrace the New York loft aesthetic.  On the exterior a simple, reclaimed red brick was chosen and combined with more traditional charcoal paned joinery elements. 

An existing outdoor lean to roof, located in the centre of the building was removed and steel work introduced.  This steel structure was not only used to support the new roof & enclose the space, but also to construct a new feature tongue & groove native timber bulk head over the ‘front of house’ service area.

Steel work was also introduced elsewhere internally, along with polished concrete flooring to enhance the funky New York vibe and inject a robust & industrial flavour.

Native timbers were utilised throughout to compliment the steel work and inject some warmth and organic elements.

Internal space requirements, along with several external factors were carefully considered to maximise connectivity and ease of flow throughout.  Internal walls were erected to create the coffee roasting area, purpose build kitchen space & service area, all with strong connections to one another.  Ease of flow between the service area and adjacent footpaths was also addressed and accommodated for within the new floor plan.

Varying floor level within the existing building & between adjacent footpaths posed issues internally.  Raised native timber tongue & grove flooring was used as a feature to conceal floor level differences and act as a demarcation between different internal sitting areas. 

Existing building features such as high level clerestory windows containing steel mesh work & block walls were embraced internally.