Coffee Bar by jones | haydu brings a San Francisco neighborhood back to life

Design firm <a href="http://joneshaydu.com/" target="_blank">jones | haydu</a> designed the interior of a small cafe in downtown San Francisco while simultaneously revitalizing the stretch of sidewalk in front of it. The area, which has been neglected for over twenty years, received a new burst of life thanks to the innovative new space. The design of the cafe is dominated by scorched <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/wood-siding/" target="_blank">wood siding</a> which goes perfectly with the function of the space and draws attention of passersby.

The architects' intention was to design an attractive coffee-themed space while simultaneously revitalizing this neglected part of the neighborhood, located at the entrance Saint Mary’s Garage, across from the Bank of America plaza in San Francisco.

The large concrete shear, placed between the garage space and the sidewalk after the Loma Prieta earthquake, partly made the area undesirable for retail and caused it to become underutilized.

Thanks to the architects' intervention, the shear walls were opened and used to connect the interior space with the sidewalk, instead of separating them.

Existing concrete and piping were left exposed and the exterior was clad in scorched wood, which fades into the wood's natural color towards the top part of the facade above the opening.

Coffee Bar by jones haydu

Coffee Bar by jones haydu

Coffee Bar by jones haydu

Coffee Bar by jones haydu

Coffee Bar by jones haydu

Coffee Bar by jones haydu

Coffee Bar by jones haydu

Coffee Bar by jones haydu