Recreational & Hospitality

Art’s Place Coffee Outlet

Located in the lobby of the Fine Arts Building in the southwest precinct of the University of Victoria, Art's Place is one of a series of coffee facilities that are distributed throughout campus, supplementing the larger more centralized dining areas.

Designed as a free-standing sculptural object, the coffee outlet had to float in the space without touching walls or windows. When secured after hours, the design takes on a glowing lantern effect from within and below; it also had to achieve transparency to allow daylight to continue into the lobby. Wood slats achieved these objectives and wood was specifically used as a contrast in warmth, colour and texture within this elegant 2-storey space. Western birch, with a clear finish, was selected for the exterior slats as a rich hardwood able to withstand wear and tear while retaining a consistent warm texture, day and night. It also conforms to UVic's commitment to sustainability as a renewable material.

The kiosk is structurally framed with HSS members to provide required rigidity strength with minimal dimension. The base is stainless steel with a continuous strip of LED lighting that reflects off the base and floor tiles to give an appearance of the kiosk floating in the space. Openings vary: raised flaps at servery areas, a roll-up shutter at display cases, sliding panels facing the windows and a sliding barn door for staff access. Again, wood provided the most flexible material for each of these applications.