Elephant Grounds Coffee, Star Street Building, HK Interior Architecture, Chinese Cafe Design

Elephant Grounds Coffee on Star Street, HK

Dog-Friendly Hong Kong Cafe design by JJA / Bespoke Architecture

6 Aug 2016

Elephant Grounds Coffee

Design: JJA / Bespoke Architecture

Location: Star Street Precinct, Hong Kong, China

Elephant Grounds Coffee on Star Street, Hong Kong

Upon the unveiling of the brand new 1120 sq.ft space housing the Elephant Grounds Coffee flagship in Hong Kong’s chic Star Street Precinct, the project, a work by JJA / Bespoke Architecture, immediately transformed the character of its own site and surrounding neighbourhood, through the passive performance of the design’s warm timber-based materials with an emphasis on spatial transparency through indoor-outdoor oriented planning.

Relaxing environment
The project’s corner site was an opportunity for the designers and client, to give importance to the all-day-cafe as it becomes a natural intersection for the area’s tenants and ofﬁce workers’ daily activities. Elephant Ground’s success lies in its role as a social hinge point for various class and user groups, and the simple strategies to reflect a more open and welcoming environment allow for this relationship.

Use of daylight
This cafe maximises the use of natural daylight by incorporating large mechanical glass and metal windows throughout the majority of its facade, whilst taking advantage of the street’s pedestrian oriented location through the placement of timber window benches which double as both interior and exterior seating when the windows are fully raised on sunny days. A unique mixture of informal and formal dining and drinking activity is part of the attraction of this project, as patrons from various user groups are juxtaposed, with some staying as long as they need to get meetings or work done, while giving others the option to casually pass by to grab coffee in the midst of their daily commute.

The front section of the restaurant’s main entry is pushed back 1.2 meters, allowing for a useful outdoor coffee bar service area facing its sidewalk frontage plus the the public plaza space across the street. This area is smartly kept within shopfront boundary to align with local licensing regulations, and gives an al-fresco atmosphere without extending beyond site line.

Other unique design items in the project include a bespoke 1.4 x 2.7m-large moss garden installation specially produced by QuestTerrarium and the application of handcrafted timber and furnitures throughout the majority of the project’s interior and exterior facade within the site by artisans, Start From Zero.

Graphic metal letters hanging on the wall and low dining timber and metal chairs are all vintage antiques sourced in Paris by the Client, founder Kevin Poon, while black metal pendant lamps which hang over each table, were manufactured for the project by Schoolhouse Electric of Portland, Oregon.

Elephant Grounds Coffee – Building Information

Project Name: Elephant Grounds Coffee on Star Street
Architecture & Interior Design: James JJ Acuna of JJA / Bespoke Architecture
Date of Completion: June 2016
Location: Hong Kong
Area: 1120 sq.ft (inclusive of Front and Back of House)
Client: Elephant Grounds PP Limited
On-Site Carpentry & Furniture: Start From Zero
Moss Installation: QuestTerrarium
Budget: Unspeciﬁed

About JJA / Bespoke Architecture
JJA / Bespoke Architecture was founded in 2016 by Creative Director, James JJ Acuna. A graduate of Cornell and Columbia University Architecture programmes, Acuna has worked on a wide range of lifestyle and workplace projects in Hong Kong, China, and the Asian region at large for a roster of select blue chip clients, such as Swire, Sun Hung Kai, and Hong Kong Land under corporate ﬁrms, Ronald LU & Partners, Woods Bagot, and LWK.

For the past ﬁve years, Acuna has also founded and runs a social media platform, titled Wanderlister.com, aimed at reporting on various design trends in travel, architecture, art, and interior design for the region. With the establishment of his Hong Kong and Manila based studio, his aim is to help formulate bespoke design solutions for lifestyle-oriented clients via his lens and insight as not only a skilled designer, but a thought leader on current global trends in relation to design, service, and operation