Instant classics are sometimes made with a shared design vision and a couple of vintage German made roasters. This is definitely the case here.

An imposing 22kg Probat coffee roaster takes centre stage in a unique, stripped back warehouse setting in San Francisco’s SoMa area, the new location for the flagship outlet San Fran coffee heroes Sightglass.

The site is based in a 650sqm workshop, a former former sign maker’s area, and has been skilfully converted by local firm Boor Bridges Architects (BBA).

Where there was once a non-descript building, now coexists a perfect balance between coffee manufacture and retail consumption, where the customer is treated to an artisanal roaster experience like no other.

Seating arrangements are arranged like box seats at a music hall and perimeter bench seating in the open plan main floor. The ‘in-your-face’ attitude of the café underlies the owners core belief of honesty in the craft of coffee making, something architects BBA were keen draw out in the brief.

The back-story of how the two coffee loving brothers came to work with BBA reads like an integral bit part in the rise of popularity of specialty coffee and aficionados in a country that is synonymous with the drip filter.

With a second standout industrial warehouse shell to work with, the architects had an opportunity to further refine their aesthetic as well as retain existing features such as full height multi-pane steel sash windows and original beams.

What started out as a friendly, same-neighbourhood-association between architect and client in 2007, has led to two of the city’s best examples of great design meets serious coffee.

Boor Bridges Architects
boorbridges.com