Multidisciplinary coffee experience with an emphasis on sustainable materials and the circular economy.
The project’s persona was a 31 year old art curator exploring Nottingham as a potential place to live. He arrives feeling uninspired and lost and decides to get coffee in the city centre. Experience deconstruction indicated that his existing coffee experience is underwhelming and unspecific to his location. He is isolated from those around him; with no meaningful focus his attention diverts to social media and he leaves the experience still feeling lost. Developing insights from experience deconstruction defined moments and interactions where the design response could better connect him with people and place.
My design manifesto represents what I want to see reflected in my outcomes and responses, centred around two ideas, what design is and what it is for. ‘Design Is’ explores the approach I will take in research, ideation, and development of responses. ‘Design For’ focusses on my values and beliefs as a designer. It guides the way I intend outcomes to be used and the wider impact that this will have.
Research was translated into three main insights: coffee’s role as a social mediator, physical barriers to conversation and discouraging the use of phones within the experience. Ideation explored how the vessel may facilitate eye contact alongside secondary interactions which explore how the user becomes fully engaged by the task. Informed by user feedback, the response was carefully balanced, developing a practical yet theatrical, unique, and memorable solution. Branding was developed to communicate the values of people and place. The logo represents two people having a conversation whilst the circle represents the planet.
The environment proposal is located in Nottingham’s Old Market Square, a well-connected central location that is likely to feature in the persona’s day trip. Ideation considered how users should move through the space and how the design can facilitate conversation. The process included exploration of hierarchy between interactions, utilising corners, steps, and leading lines within the form of the space to encourage social interaction.
Users hold handles one each side and push inwards aligning two holes which they will drink from. As the vessel tips back, a counterweighted cover retracts from underneath, directing focus to the experience where meaningful conversation can be initiated. Handles are produced from Solidwool, the central vessel from recycled glass, and covers from terrazzo and reclaimed ceramic. Challenging conventions on the applications of these materials encourages users to think about what materials they may be willing to adopt in their own lifestyles.
To explore light and volume within the space, I constructed a 1:50 scale model. Built from a ‘Zollinger frame,’ the structure is self-supporting, mitigating its environmental impact and enabling rapid construction and disassembly. Components to build the structure are CNC milled from reclaimed OSB boards. The structure is clad in reclaimed PCV sheets and solar light modules, creating a welcoming atmosphere inside the space. Distinct levels inside the environment illustrate the significance of interactions relative to the overall experience. The main space for social interaction is located at the space’s highest point.
Second Year University Project
Loughborough Design School
Copyright Theo Dormer 2022
