We endeavored to create an educational space with very clean lines and elevated inconspicuous beauty where the materiality and design elements did not become a distraction for the students that participate in the hands-on approach of the specialty coffee industry training programs.

Specialty coffee theory and sensory laboratory classrooms have strict physical space and environmental requirements that regulate room dimensions, furniture placement and spacing, acoustics, air quality, ventilation, and lighting to ensure a high standard controlled environment for learning.

The facilities include multiple strategies and educational seating spaces for the different learning programs. As you navigate through the space, the simple elegance of the wood trimmed white walls that lead to a glass and steel framed window with the main sensory training classroom beyond.

Adjacent to the main classroom, off to the side, stands an auxiliary nook marked by a flooring transition to black mosaic tile that houses a laboratory table for coffee tasting and analysis framed by a factory window with a view of the high-capacity roasting facilities housed in the same building.

Upon entering the main classroom, you appreciate the meticulous programming of furnishing, custom light fixtures and other essential training campus equipment necessary for students and industry professionals.

Though at first sight the red rigid pipes and bare bulbs may seem as a purely aesthetic endeavor, their function and purpose in the classroom is for coffee olfactory testing where light levels need to be able to mask the color of coffee but still allow for students to see their test forms and walk through the room safely.

The result is a beautiful and clean lab space that complies with all educational requirements and promotes learning while still being full of creative touches.

WORDS

Carlos Vigo
Spatial Awards Institutions Learning Space FA21 San Juan Puerto Rico MV Studio Gustos Coffee Company