The fifth - and largest - Starbucks premium coffee shop has opened in the trendy Nakameguro district of Tokyo. The coffee factory intends to roast almost 750 tons of coffee a year. This is the brand's first facility to be built from the ground up by a local architect. The four-story coffee shop in Tokyo was designed by Kengo Kuma.
The four-storey coffee shop is contextual: panoramic windows and terraces offer views of the Meguro River and the cherry trees growing along it. Visitors can admire the cherry blossoms without leaving Starbucks.
At the entrance, guests are greeted by a giant barrel containing freshly roasted beans, the largest in the Starbucks collection of premium coffee houses. Its height is 17 meters, and it reaches the top, fourth floor. The reservoir was made using the traditional blacksmithing technique known as tsuchime. All participants in the construction of the coffee factory were involved in the "tinning" process: everyone was able to hit the copper sheet with a hammer. The collective effort has resulted in a unique texture and surface pattern. The chan is decorated with a scattering of cherry blossoms from the same material.
The premises are finished with natural wood. For environmental reasons, all timber comes from the vicinity of the construction site. The material is processed using the old Japanese method, which protects it from aging. The layout of the panels from which the ceiling is laid out resembles origami.
According to the Starbucks management, the new establishment is not just a cafe, but a kind of mini-excursion that acquaints visitors with the various stages of beverage production: roasting, grinding, and boiling. On four floors of a building with an area of 3000 m2 visitors can have a variety of gastronomic (and not only) experiences. The first is the Princi bakery in Milan, which sells authentic Italian pastries. The second is the world's largest tea bar Teavana with Japanese assortment. The third floor is equipped for the conceptual cocktail bar Arriviamo, Starbucks' own invention. On the fourth level, there is perhaps the most interesting and revolutionary space of the new establishment. Its format combines a learning center and a place for spontaneous and scheduled meetings. The first “program” event of the new space will focus on the role of women leaders in Japan.
This is the third project in the Kengo Kuma portfolio for Starbucks. Last year, Taiwan opened
An "experimental" cafe constructed from 29 containers. And even earlier in the Japanese Dazaifu Kengo Kuma built a very small institution.
