UC Davis is renowned for its programs in the science of beer and wine, now coffee can be added to the taste-full pursuit. Perkins Eastman helped the university’s College of Engineering transform a previous hydrogen fuel cell lab into the UC Davis Coffee Center, the first in the country to be dedicated to the scientific study of coffee.
According to a profile on the center by the local Sactown magazine, the design team embraced their tight budget and re-envisioned the existing structure as an “edgy, warehouse art gallery, tearing out dropped-tile ceilings but leaving the space’s industrial character intact.”
The coffee center is nestled into a lush section of campus, across Putah Creek from the UC Davis Arboretum and a quick walk from the Robert Mondavi Institute of Wine and Food Science. Glass garage doors provide wide views of gardens and outdoor gathering areas.
The interior is designed to support both pre-harvest and post-harvest coffee research. It features space for experimental green bean storage; a roastery; a tasting room; office and conference facilities; and laboratories for brewing, sensory and cupping experiments, and chemistry analysis.
