An original cafe design for a coastal site, developed from first principles. The building is oriented to frame sea views, maximise natural light, and respond to the exposed coastal environment through a passive ventilation strategy, carefully considered acoustics, and a rigorous daylighting analysis.
Design a seaside cafe that celebrates its coastal setting while maintaining comfortable indoor conditions for occupants year-round. The project required developing an original building design alongside a full environmental performance assessment, balancing natural cross-ventilation, thermal comfort, acoustic quality, and daylighting without relying on mechanical systems.
Designed a passive coastal cafe with a cross-ventilation strategy using south-to-north prevailing winds, achieving a required flow rate of 0.25 m³/s and maintaining CO&sub2; below 1000 ppm.
Specified tilt-turn windows throughout to give occupants direct control over ventilation and thermal comfort, with heaters placed beneath windows to counteract coastal draughts.
Achieved an average reverberation time of 0.53 seconds in the dining area using Ecophon absorbers and an acoustic steel-framed kitchen door with double seals.
Designed exterior static shading on both west and south facades, shading peak summer hours while maximising daylight in winter, achieving 36% annual probable sunlight hours.
Calculated an average daylight factor of 4.92% across the dining area, meeting BS 8206 requirements with generous glazing on three facades.
Produced a full set of design drawings, calculations, and environmental analysis documenting the building's performance across ventilation, acoustics, and daylighting.