Antarakata Coffee

The common typology of a shop house is designed to cater for flexible commercial use with standardised mirroring façade, sharing of neighbouring wall structures, and minimum finishes. Hence, each commercially active owners within the district of shop houses are trying to stand out by using the standardised façade as a blank canvas, which serves as a backdrop for them to work their magic in promoting their businesses.

Breaking the shop houses archetype, the design intent is looking for a fresh typology that provides distinct spatial experiences than the homogenous boxes scattered around the neighboring shop houses blocks. With this in mind, the small given lot is extended upwards, adding more than 200% extra coverage of space that is divided into three different experiential zones.

Towards the front, visitors will be greeted with a shopfront bar, a perfect spot to sit for a quick coffee and a take away, with a glance of the upwards shifted space reflected on its ceiling. As you move further inside, the spaces start to be more private and intimate, a place to settle for longer breaks.

The extended upward movement creates an elegant byproduct that transforms into an amphitheater space, bringing enhanced functionality and more intimate interior views towards the three zones (shopfront, VIP, and viewing deck) allowing visitors to inhabit each spaces for different functions such as movie nights, and live bands. In addition, the amphitheaters act as a visual and noise buffer that detaches the cafe and the opposing busy streets. This creates a vibrant meeting spot for locals, visitors and office goers alike, which becomes a vital to the success of the café.