Comun Cafe

Authors’ Comment

Close to Piata Maria, an alveolus in the interwar "neighborhood" that holds the line of the boulevard opens to the pedestrian space - Common. Between pharmacies, supermarkets, patisseries, clothing stores, clinics, a cafe imposes a new energy and way of pedestrian crossing. Instead of a crossing from point A to point B, Comun Cafe becomes, at the same time, the moment of rest or even the destination. The space is positioned perpendicular to the street, developed along its length. 90% of the width opens to the street. Access on one step - the bank. The solution was a result of the layout and geometry of the space: the interior is completely open to the sidewalk - a "room" to which you can access from the street. In the design process, I relied on the interaction with the man who makes the coffee and tells the stories. The element that connects all the information: the common table. The espresso bar continues with the table that serves customers, with seats on both sides and a bench bordering the background. The key element works in two ways: once, people interact with each other sitting at the table and have the opportunity to see the "architecture" behind the espresso machine. The italic finishes of the walls represented by ceramics and decorative plaster have a functional role and together with the details of the furniture make a reference to the architectural and historical context of the area. On the short side, the furniture includes the access to the service spaces and the storage module, sink, boiler, dishwasher. The common table contains a functional, opaque module, in which the refrigerator, water pump and all connections and drains to the water network are incorporated. Detail architecture. The interior space becomes the "common" space of the street, open to pedestrians.