K11 Musea, Hong Kong’s new art and retail complex known as Hong Kong’s Silicon Valley of Culture, has recently partnered with % ARABICA to open the coffee company’s sixth store in the region. The new store, % ARABICA at KUBE, is a golden kiosk designed by Dutch firm OMA’s David Gianotten and Rem Koolhaas, and stands beside the main K11 centre, with rare, uninterrupted views of Victoria Harbour.
While the KUBE has taken influences from Hong Kong’s many dai pai dong (open air food stalls), OMA has taken the traditional stall up a notch: its aluminium panels feature an anodised golden finish that changes colour, dictated by the reflection of lights from its hectic surroundings. A number of pleasingly-cubed marble chairs are arranged so as to encourage engagement between bleary-eyed commuters and excitable tourists over their first coffee of the day, courtesy of the fastest-growing speciality coffee brand in the world.
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For large-scale events, a giant red balloon will serve as a physical Google Maps pin, visible across Victoria Harbour, to attract guests and encourage intrigued onlookers to enjoy a coffee by the bay. The KUBE itself has an enviable amount of outdoor space surrounding it, especially for a city like Hong Kong, and is ripe for future events and outdoor performances. David Gianotten has lofty ambitions: ‘The KUBE is a multi-function installation to connect people visiting K11 MUSEA and passers-by, who share a moment to be fully present to experience the city and [discover] possibilities of encounters.’ A bit more than your regular caffeine hit.
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