This project is a lobby café in a highrise building in downtown Boston. The major challenge of the space was the relatively small footprint in relation to the 20 ft ceiling height of the lobby and the fact that it needed to be secured at night with a metal grate. The design turns this challenge into an opportunity to create a sculptural element in the ceiling using large sail-like shapes that rise up toward the high windows at the street. Pendant cloud-like lights are suspended through the “sails”. The materials in the café have a finish color palette that makes the space an integral part of the lobby. Because the project was paid for by the building, the design needed to have a distinctive, elegant form worthy of the lobby, yet be neutral enough to house a variety of vendor/operators as the tenancy of such spaces can often change. This design has survived several operators with little changes to the architecture.

Scope: 1,000 s.f. including graphics and signage

Client: Congress Group Developers

Contractor: Congress Group Construction