The 2009 TCA/PCA International Student Design Competition: The Sustainable Coffee Shop was sponsored by the Tilt‐Up Concrete Association and the Portland Cement Association.
Students in the field of architecture, currently in a graduate or undergraduate program were invited to submit conceptual designs for a new coffee shop in an urban market, specifically designed with emphasis on the practical sustainability using site cast concrete panels and components known as “Tilt‐Up” concrete.
Entries were due on September 14, 2009.
First Place: Universal Cafe
The Universal Cafe takes the shape of a pinwheel with a central focus in the coffee bar service area plus secondary spaces for seating, a conference room, a bookstore, and service areas logically placed around the central focus. The roof has a rainwater collection system to recover greywater, and solar panels are placed on the south-facing roof.
Download the complete project board [PDF - 1.22 MB]
Second Place: Vertebrate
The Vertebrate project incorporates a "backbone" stone wall along with permeable pavers to capture rainwater from the entire site. Insulated Tilt-Up panels and a vegetative "green screen" help provide cooling for the facility.
Download the complete project board [PDF - 2.62 MB]
Third Place: Bean Green Coffee House
This design focuses on natural ventilation through the use of stack ventilation, cross-ventilation, and evaporative cooling panels. The panels are kept wet with a drip system that feeds off of rainwater collection on tanks in the top of the thick wall.
Download the complete project board [PDF - 808 KB]
Honorable Mention: Cafe L'Mur
Cafe L'Mur combines two Tilt-Up panels separated by a cavity space to capture both water and heat energy for use by the store. Solar panels in the parking area generate electricity for the shop as well as customer vehicles.
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Honorable Mention: The Morning Mud
The Morning Mud coffee house features insulated Tilt-Up walls
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Honorable Mention: Sustainability from the "Grounds" Up
This sustainable coffee shop incorporates a skeleton of arched Tilt-Up walls used as thermal mass to collect heat throughout the day and release it during the cooler evenings.
Download the complete project board [PDF - 1.01 MB]
Honorable Mention: Partitions
The coffeehouse concept is based on a simple structure partitioned into five boxes. The displacement between these boxes forms three separate patios, each with its own theme.
Download the complete project board [PDF - 1.49 MB]
Honorable Mention: Eco Evolution
This two-story entry features insulated precast panels as a time- and cost-saving construction technique. In addition, the insulated concrete roof incorporates solar panels to generate power.
Download the complete project board [PDF - 1.21 MB]