Project Type //
Commercial development, refurbishment of existing construction
Chronology//
January 2019-February 2020
Location //
Kololo, Kampala, Uganda
Team//
Nerea Amoros Elorduy - Lead architect
Client//
Private
Description/
The coffee shop and café in Kololo within the Platia development entailed the refurbishment of a 24sqm two-room guardhouse into the kitchen and office with an extension of the footprint to accommodate the café and coffee shop. It also included the development of two big storage spaces, a set of toilets for families and an outdoor playground.
The bricks used from the refurbishment works in the overall site where recycled for the construction of the café extension and the toilets. The roof was extended forwards and created a semi covered area where all the outdoor walls are composed by casement windows that open outwards protecting from rain and creating cross ventilation. The main features of the café area are the wooden fixed serving counter and client counters and seating areas. Our master carpenter Laurence, in local Mugavu wood, developed these. The other main feature is the floor, in polished concrete with a Mugavu and brass star embedded within, developed in collaboration with sculpture artist Emanuel Lwamala. This area is as well characterised by the double pitched ceiling and the crossed trusses. The toilets built on a nook between a now upcoming indoors playground and the boundary wall are handicapped accessible, family and children friendly. While the outdoors playground is composed of two cubes one big one 2x2x2mts and one smaller one 1x1x1mts that integrate different gross motor activities and are surrounded by a shaded picnic area.
All the indoor and outdoors furniture was designed and built by us with our main artisans and carpenters, we are especially proud of our hanging rotating tables and benches.