IDE4
WEEKLY/ RESEARCH BLOG
s5094541 Marlene Morales
I had approached a couple of cafes, but one seemed to be the most promising. I was looking for a cafe that would be close to where i live, so that access and communication with the client would be easier. The cafe I found was originally called "The Dark Horse Cafe". Upon arrival to the cafe it turned out the cafe had been re branded to be called "Remedy Espresso coffee". I am currently waiting on the clients permission.
The cafe looked really small perhaps 10 x 7m. Half of the space was divided by kitchen and the other half dedicated to service. white painted walls with a muted forest green feature paint wall and a white ceiling, standard commercial white vinyl flooring, wooden stools and outdoor tables. A very simple and clean design. Customers have the option to stay and sit or buy and go, although there is limited space for seating. The main colour theme seems to be white and green.
QUESTIONS TO ASK
Where is the client?
Who are their customers?
What is the demographic of the area?
Who are their neighbours?
why was the cafe re-branded?
What is the age of the facility?
how many employees work in the cafe in a daily basis?
What type of work spaces are needed?
how many of these spaces are needed?
how many visitors can the cafe hold? Or would you like to hold?
What would you say the personality of the cafe is?
What emotions do you want your customers to feel when they come to your cafe?
Will there be any changes to your facility/ cafe in the next few years?
What do you currently like about your cafe, facilities, design wise?
Would you like to incorporate your companies logo themes/colours into the design?
Are there colours that you prefer?
Do you have favoured materials?
WEEK2
Unfortunately i wasn't able to endeavour with "Remedy espresso cafe" as the owner would not respond to any of my messages. Luckily my classmate Vivienne is willing to share the space with me.
The new focus has become "The Yard on Glebe" located in Ipswich.
Here are online images I found//
From the images that i'm seeing online the current interior space looks simple, the facade is in all honesty not that appealing, but the food looks absolutely delicious, very Instagramable. What i found the most interesting part, looking through google maps, is that the cafe us actually just surrounded by houses, individuals and families can just walk a cross the street and have a decent meal. To be honest you wouldn't expect such delicious looking food from the facade it currently has and location as well, the food looks really trendy.
Their opening hours seem quite decent for an early or late breakfast or brunch option. The actual current interiors have yet to be seen. I do believe that there could be an opportunity for re branding.
Perhaps* there could be a merge with some sort of activity to engage with the clients/ the community? (if there is space for it ?) or even embedding? integrating?
EXAMPLES
"Blufish cafe Yingke"
A small classy looking space in the day time, yet that can be converted to fun underwater like experience. They like to call it " physical spatial morphologies". The space is really small, its almost like an exclusive space. The waves on the ceiling and walls are from a grg surface? sculpture. one big installation. It does seem to sacrifice spacial efficiency, but it does produce something unique.
VISITING/The Yard on Glebe
I had the chance to visit the cafe for myself and experience it myself as a customer and here are my observations and images of the place. I visited the cafe on the 17/07/19 at around 12pm, there were only a few people during my visit, so there was minimal to record. I was being more observant towards the surroundings, fixtures, wall types, finishes, furniture, ceiling etc. One main feature of the design is that the cafe itself is split into two parts or two rooms next to each other yet not connected.
This was the total movement of both customer and employee of the time i was there. There is plenty of seating arrangements in the first area, it could fit 25 people, since the furniture is entirely recycled furniture, which consists of dining tables and cafe tables the space would feel like a tight fit when it is busy. There are no spaces for lining up or ques.
whereas the second room has plenty of room and feels spacious. The greatest feature of that room is the fact that during the morning no artificial lighting is needed to light the room in winter. Another great feature is the amount if power points there are.
WEEK 3
Here is my second visit to the cafe, I met up with Vivienne and we observed the cafe. It was important to visit a second time as my first cafe visit was really quite. This second observation allowed me to have a better scope of the customers. i also was able to talk to owner and collect my brief from her. To my surprise the Cafe catered for everyone, young and old, families, tradies, retired, pet lovers, there was a mix of everybody and that's what surprised me the most.
The map above the may be leaving out some dots, just out of visual confusion.
This bubble map came out a little bit odd, not what i was expecting, it may have been because of the slight inaccuracies by my own making. The items that i know that are important for the space turns out that isn't that important according the the bubble diagram.
TECHNOLOGY
Technology isn't just in digital platform which what we are used to hearing when we hear the word "technology being used, is it possible to think beyond that in this case?
anywho i will start with digital technology.
1. the idea of using augmented reality as a use of the menu, an Instagram link that leads to a website that can view the menu via your phone, or perhaps it could be a little bit more simple, use 360 camera technology
2. kiosk odering? this will save space a little, no reception counter needed. but then there is the trouble with cash? and younger clients. there would be more time to focus on service than ordering problems.
3. The use of projectors in a space. it has multi purpose functions. One could be purely for aesthetic purpose another could be for displaying menu and special occasions and point of sale.
4. customised LCD screens, always makes any space feel high- end and expensive, yet there is a sense of futuristic emotion with it.
Any piece of technology that is able to emit imagery has a lot of opportunities since the technology is able to be manipulated. The content that goes onto the screen or item can range from advertising to environments. With the right settings it can be limitless.
ordering online will be too tricky with a smaller cafe budget, there could be a loss of design, aesthetics and quality user experience. Plus it can be expensive.
WEEK 4
Glass is a reusable, and is probably the most aesthetic item i know. There are a lot of interiors that i have seen that use glass containers holding different items such as coffee, seeds and nuts, it gives the place a rustic raw sort of feel. In my case these would be nice with the theme that i am looking for the cafe restaurant. It could be filled with coffee beans, a visual merchandising in its own practical way.
The cafe restaurant already up cycles its' furniture, which is something that i would like to continue to follow through, their chairs visually match the theme of the concept that i will propose. keeping the chairs is something i would like to do, but not the tables, if a set of tables that match the theme are found that could be used to upcycle then that would be great. As for another option, is purchasable cutlery, maybe even suggest a system where $2 is nocked of your meal by bringing your own utensils, like coffee mugs also it may save a little bit of cleaning procedures.
Sandblasting and carving
"
s a purveyor of custom glass, metal and stone services. Sandblasting, etching, and multi-Level carving can turn an ordinary piece of glass into a functioning work of art. Any pattern or design can be etched into the front or rear surface of the glass. Based on specific project requirements, the levels of privacy and light diffusion can be controlled. Carved glass can be used for furniture, accent panels, or signage and can be in-filled with colors or metallics.
Environmental Responsibility
Galaxy® Glass & Stone doesn't use harsh chemicals and paints often found in the industry, instead, they have sourced environmentally friendly alternatives. Their manufacturing processes utilize coatings with zero VOCs and many of the machines run on natural gas. The company is experienced in providing the required documentation for the USGBC."
I absolutely love this method and finish. it's unique and classy and it might just fit the theme i'm looking for, as a wall finish.
CONCEPTUAL SCRIBBLE
It honestly has been tricky to put idea into reality.
One of the hardest things this time was, simply being able to put my ideas, to paper, im not really good at rapid sketch-- need to practise that, modelling will take a while, and the question is do i know what exactly what i want to model ?
strategy 1: Photoshop collage and sketchbook (it does perspective lines)
AMERICAN VICTORIAN RESEARCH
FURTHER IDEATION SKETCH
PHOTOSHOP COLLAGE
Slight variation
FACADE
Throughout the process elements were changed. There was in - built exploration, building fixtures, finding real life products, and re-arrangements of finishes. light, material making
Renders were produced to better understand and visualise the final outcome.
CONCEPT 1- MAIN SPACE/ SPACE 1 ------ 3D PANORAMA VIEW
https://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/df5179fc-edd8-4294-8148-2448a3183a61&version=2
CONCEPT 2- DOG SPACE/ SPACE 2 ------ 3D PANORAMA VIEW
https://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/8bdf59c2-1198-479a-938e-21aae94999bf&version=2
CONCEPT 1 FLOOR PLAN
CONCEPT 2 FLOOR PLAN
WEEK 7
Lighting case study
MANLY GREEN HOUSE
Most of the lighting seems to be natural lighting with the few exception of pendant lighting that don't have a strong wattage? There are also a couple of wall lights with diffuses. But what makes this space feel soo vibrant and clean is the use of natural light with light colours? No not entirely light textures, some a re really dark, yet there is a balance which is what i am trying to use in my project. I believe smarter use of light might make the space look more complete.
I haven't entirely chosen the lighting in the space but i do have two solid types of lighting, and a third one, but im not quite sure how entirely it would work
1. neon text lighting
2. HOBO wall lighting
3. old chandeliers
WEEK 8
By using the website, i continued to find a restaurant that picked my interest, DETOUR was the restaurant that peeked my interest. Most of their information or statement about their restaurant, funnily enough is on this website, otherwise their own website doesn't explain anything about their business, but from what i can gather, they strive to serve for all types of dietary requirements with a philosophy of yin and yang, for the herbivore and the omnivore. DETOUR seems to strive for sustainability, you can see that in their menu, you can see that in their Instagram page (promotional meat awareness posts) and you can suspect that through some of their interior finishes (raw brick and recycled timber)
WEEK 8 & 9
I was still strongly against my own design as i originally thought that it was awkward and incomplete. I've had designers block for a while and have not been able to produce something that is of better quality, a design that makes more sense.
One of these nights i had a design zeal and a new idea, but for me to achieve this new idea i must basically start all over again. Unfortunately the design still is not inclusive to dogs, but it is in consideration. for safety and food protection tables must be at standing height so pets wont eat customers food. it would also be great to incorporate a sink for customers to wash their hands if they have been touching their dog.
new floor plan
what was throwing me off of the floor plan was the annoying triangle, it was really hard design around that, and the previous reception and kitchen, it was really awkward and uncomfortable.
The kitchen and reception are now one long strip. there should be more storage available for them now, including their current storage items, they can be incorporated below, plus the extra room can be used as a cold room, it has yet to be designed.
the new space still is designed around the materials already present at the location, concrete and dark wood floor boards, these floor boards are to be extended to the other space. Another benefit from the new design is that i was able to incorporate their display case.
NEW RENDERS
LIGHT SETTINGS
surprisingly a sun study of the location, night time does really well. day time, i can only do so much. it looks a lot more elegant. Although the owner is usually open in the mornings, but occasionally does night time events.
WARMTH SETTINGS on sun study
these are just practise renders, there are small errors that need correcting.
i believe the first image emulates day time the best.
