schemata architects' tokyo spaces for blue bottle coffee

schemata architects’ tokyo spaces for blue bottle coffee
all photos by takumi ota courtesy of the architect

schemata architects have completed work on two spaces in tokyo for the american chain blue bottle coffee. one is the former storage building at kiyosumi-shirakawa, which now accommodates a roastery, cafe, offices, barista training room and pastry factory; and the second venue is a cafe located near the fashionable district of omotesando.

view into the kiyosumi-shirakawa location

blue bottle coffee kiyosumi-shirakawa roastery & cafe

schemata architects renovated the former storage building at kiyosumi-shirakawa making the building open to outside and creating a continuous space where everyone can establish and be involved in the balanced relationship to stay aware of one another’s action and to collaborate for better results. in order to maintain such relationship across spatial boundaries, large-sized glass doors and screens were installed on each floor to maintain transparency between neighboring spaces, inside and outside, and lower and upper floors.

ground level cafe

the former space had no windows, so a large skylight in the center was installed to distribute natural light throughout the space on the second floor – located right above the void space connecting the first and second floors, where the indoor greenery on the upper level reflects abundant natural light and delivers the exotic forest-like light and shade to the lower level.

office space

glass is partially inserted on the second floor right above the main roasting machine, the heart of the roastery, to visually connect the lower and upper floors. through the opening, the staff upstairs can observe customers enjoying their coffee, which gives them further motivation, and they can also constantly monitor the production downstairs and immediately respond to any arising issues. these visual connections generate a positive relationship uniting everyone present, including the staff and customers.

view from the offices down to the cafe

street view of the former storage building at kiyosumi-shirakawa, which now accommodates a roastery, cafe, offices, barista training room and pastry factory.

blue bottle coffee aoyama cafe

the second shop is located in aoyama district, approximately three minutes walk from omotesando station in tokyo. it occupies the second floor of a building surrounded by trees in a quiet neighborhood, a few blocks away from the bustle of the main avenue. from the second floor, you can see green leaves in front of spacious balconies and enjoy beauty and comfort of each season.

view of the ayoma cafe

the cafe space is deep in east-west direction, with an entrance located at a narrow end. taking advantage of the spatial depth, we create three cafe zones according to length of stay and behavior, which gradually shift from short staying zone at the entrance to long staying zone in the back.

view of the ayoma cafe

the kitchen is designed to ensure that all activities can be seen without obstruction. we treat space for customers and the kitchen as equally important, hoping that customers and the staff will make a good cafe together.

blue bottle coffee’s ayoma cafe