As Egypt‘s new capital city, aptly called New Cairo, is slowly taking shape, so are the facilities and perks of its dwellers. Needless to say, the global coffee fad has also taken root in this part of the planet, and very recently, the first renowned international coffee parlour has opened its doors. We’re talking % ARABICA, the Kyoto-based coffee chain, which has secured a spacious 247 sqm. (2,659 sq.ft.) on the premises of U Venues, a popular shopping centre in the city’s leafy Fifth Settlement area. The company tapped no. 10, the spatial design consultancy of NOMURA, one of Japan‘s foremost creators and managers of architectural spaces, to design a fitting interior design. The setting has been designed with a concept inspired by the idea of ‘piling up’ – if you ask us, it’s an obviously nod to the iconic pyramids – and sees a quarry-like setting.
This area sees an irregular configuration of limestone slabs modularised into 800mm and stacked in a stair-like manner from the roasting room and coffee counter to the seating area. The configuration creates varying height differences and a organic flow and, providing the % ARABICA café a comfy space with balanced sight lines. Seating can be found on these various levels, but also alongside the large floor-to-ceiling windows on one side of the café and outside on the terrace. The back walls are adorned with faux hieroglyphs, a bold nod to the culture of Ancient Egypt. Opposite the stacked limestone slabs sits a large service counter, fitted out with a roasting machine, while a tiered storage unit laden with jute coffee bags serves as a dramatic backdrop. The menu of the new % ARABICA café lists a wide selection of coffee concoctions. © superfuture
% ARABICA
U Venues, Plot 9-13 (Fifth Settlement)
4720112 New Cairo
Daily 8am-midnight
Publishers Note
Just to be clear – superfuture® is a design blog and not a political commentator. No surprise there. The scope of our content has always been global and borderless, however that can often mean covering projects in countries where we will not agree with the politics or actions of those countries. In a world that’s as screwed up as ever right now, the focus of our support is to those designers, architects and other creatives who aim to make the world a more liveable one – as opposed to people that try their hardest to destroy it. So if a project hits our desk and we like it based on its design credentials, we may choose to publish regardless of its location or creators nationality. superfuture® has always been inclusive and hopes for all current wars, aggression, violence, hate and extremism to end.
