The intervention by OUT Architecture highlights, on the one hand, the work of The Colombian Coffee Company as a social enterprise committed to community impact and ethical trade. At the same time, it establishes a link between the contemporary use of the space and the history of Petticoat Lane, an area traditionally associated with commerce and cultural exchange.
In terms of materials, the design draws inspiration from the colors and textures associated with coffee production. Stainless steel evokes the machinery and utensils used in its preparation, while cork adds warmth and tactile qualities, as well as establishing a connection to the agricultural origin of the coffee beans.
Macchiato Pocket Park by OUT Architecture. Photograph by Federico Farinatti.
Project description by OUT Architecture
Macchiato is a pocket park inspired by the everyday ritual of meeting for coffee, designed by OUT Architecture for Aldgate Connect BID as part of the London Festival of Architecture 2026. Installed on New Goulston Street in Aldgate, the project transforms an underused corner of Petticoat Lane into a small civic space dedicated to everyday encounters, rest and social interaction.
Its name derives from the Italian word “macchiato”, meaning “marked” or “stained”, and references the circular trace left by a coffee cup on a table, an ordinary gesture reinterpreted as a shared bench in the public realm.
The design draws on the colours and materiality of coffee production. Stainless steel recalls the machinery and tools associated with coffee preparation, while cork introduces warmth, tactility and a natural reference to the agricultural origins of coffee beans.
The installation reflects both The Colombian Coffee Company’s mission as a social enterprise focused on community impact and ethical trade, and Petticoat Lane’s longstanding role as a place of commerce and cultural exchange. Macchiato draws these threads together, connecting the site’s everyday use with the area’s wider history.
"We’re delighted to see Macchiato realised in the public realm as part of this year’s London Festival of Architecture. It has been exciting to bring the project from concept to completion in such a specific and vibrant context, and to contribute to the wider life of Petticoat Lane and the surrounding neighbourhood. We look forward to seeing how the community will engage with the installation over time, and how new and spontaneous uses will emerge as people begin to relate to and inhabit the new space in their own ways."
OUT Architecture.
