The design of the small space is based on the organization of two circles: one for service (the Barista Station) and another for seating (the Grotto). The Barista Station can be read as a positive volume, whereas the Grotto can be read as a negative volume excavated from the surrounding walls.
In contrast to the artisanal aesthetic of contemporary coffee culture, the coffee shop’s designed by Only If material palette and design refers to the namesake spacecraft and scientific approach behind Voyager Espresso.

A good place to take a good coffee in New York.
 

Description of project by Only If

In early 2016, Voyager Espresso, a new specialty coffee bar, opened in a subway concourse of the Fulton Street station, in Manhattan’s Financial District.  The architect, Only If, was commissioned by the Australian team of Owner Prudence Reid and Owner/Barista Aaron Barnard to develop an innovative architectural and interior design for its initial retail location in this unusual underground site. Voyager Espresso, with its integration of an artistic and scientific approach to coffee, is a welcomed addition to the lagging food scene of the Financial District. Its rotating menu features seasonal, fresh crop coffees from the best roasters in the United States.

In contrast to the artisanal aesthetic of contemporary coffee culture, the coffee shop’s design and material palette refers to the namesake spacecraft and scientific approach behind Voyager Espresso. Adam Snow Frampton, Principal of Only If, commented: “From the beginning we knew we wanted to avoid the clichéd language of white tile, reclaimed wood, and exposed Edison bulbs. The material palette we developed is inexpensive yet futuristic.” The walls are clad in oriented strand board (OSB), which is transformed through the application of aluminum enamel paint. Work surfaces consist of black marble countertop, which plays off the texture of the walls. Elsewhere, perforated aluminum, copper, and black rubber are used.

The design of the small space is based on the organization of two circles: one for service (the Barista Station) and another for seating (the Grotto). The Barista Station can be read as a positive volume, whereas the Grotto can be read as a negative volume excavated from the surrounding walls. Practically, the layout consolidates the storage and back of house at the rear of the space, and maximizes visibility of Voyager Espresso along its glass storefront to the subway concourse. The layout creates a variety of different social settings for seating, from individual to collective, intimate to exposed. 

The design team worked closely with the client to integrate custom coffee equipment and refine the ergonomics of coffee making and service. Aaron Barnard, Owner of Voyager Espresso, commented: “The circular bar design allows for two baristas to work simultaneously and seamlessly through two points of sale. The barista does each transaction from start to finish. This helps to make the service more personable.” Through its unique design, Voyager Espresso is redefining coffee culture in New York.

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Collaborators
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Lighting Consultant.- Dot Dash. Contractor.- RZ Project Management Corp.
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Area
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51m².
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Dates
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December 2015.
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Venue
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110 William Street, New York, NY, USA.
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Only If is a New York City-based design practice for architecture and urbanism founded in 2013. The practice currently consists of 5 architects and designers engaged in a range of design work from a single-family housing prototype to larger-scale urban design, research, and speculation. Approaching any project, Only If seeks to focus on the fundamental questions and potentials. The ambition of this process is to create clarity and distill simplicity within often-complex circumstances and constraints.
 
In 2015 and 2016, Only If completed two projects in New York City: an espresso bar in the Fulton Street subway and an 18,000SF office interior and fashion showroom. These projects have been featured in Dezeen, ArchDaily, The New Yorker, Architectural Digest, FRAME, Azure, PIN-UP and the Architect’s Newspaper. Only If is currently designing two residential projects in Brooklyn set for completion in 2018 and 2019; a narrow single family house and an 84-unit affordable senior housing project.

Adam Snow Frampton is an architect and the Principal of Only If. He is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Columbia Graduate School of Architecture Planning and Preservation. He previously worked as an Associate at the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) in Rotterdam and Hong Kong from 2006-2013. During almost seven years there, he was involved in over 20 projects, responsible for leading teams producing architectural and urban designs in China, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E., Bahrain, and India. Most significantly, he worked on OMA’s competition-winning design of the Taipei Performing Arts Center from 2008-2013 and led several phases of its design and construction. His independent research on Hong Kong urbanism has been published as the co-authored Cities Without Ground, which maps the city’s three-dimensional networks of pedestrian circulation and public space. His work has been exhibited in the 12th and 14th Venice Biennale, the Museum of Modern Art, Storefront for Art and Architecture, the Center for Architecture, and the Van Alen Institute, New York. He holds a Masters in Architecture from Princeton University School of Architecture and a Bachelors of Environmental Design Summa cum Laude from the University of Colorado Boulder. He is a registered architect in the Netherlands and the United States, and a member of the American Institute of Architects.

Karolina Czeczek is an architect who has been practicing at Only If since 2015. Karolina is also a Visiting Professor at College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP) at University of Cincinnati. She previously worked at the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) in Rotterdam and Hong Kong from 2010-2013, where she was involved in architectural and urban projects in the Netherlands, Australia, China, Morocco, and Egypt. Her independent research on Warsaw’s public pools, was selected as finalist for 2015 Praktyka scholarship program for young architects. Karolina holds two Masters degrees in architecture and urban design, from Yale University and the Cracow University of Technology. She is a Fulbright Scholar and recipient of Wirt Winchester Travel Fellowship from Yale School of Architecture. Karolina is a registered architect in the Netherlands.

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Ryan Peeters, Jon Siani, Joseph Kennedy, Aurelia Adams, Matthew Davis, James Schrader, Antariksh Tandon, Francesca Pagliaro, Midori Hasuike, Yue Zhang, Min Keun Park, Jedy Lau, Joey Liang, Aleeya Khan, Pierre de Brun, Kutay Biberoglu, Angelina Andriani Putri, Kig Veerasunthorn, Stephanie Hamilton, Joseph Parrella
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Published on: February 15, 2018
Cite: "Voyager Espresso by Only If " METALOCUS. Accessed
<https://www.metalocus.es/en/news/voyager-espresso-only-if> ISSN 1139-6415
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