In early 2016, Voyager Espresso, a new specialty coffee bar, opened in a subway concourse of the Fulton Street station, in Manhattan?s Financial District. The architect, Only If, was commissioned[...]

© Michael Vahrenwald
In early 2016, Voyager Espresso, a new specialty coffee bar, opened in a subway concourse of the Fulton Street station, in Manhattan?s Financial District. The architect, Only If, was commissioned by the Australian team of Owner Prudence Reid and Owner/Barista Aaron Barnard to develop an innovative architectural and interior design for its initial retail location in this unusual underground site. Voyager Espresso, with its integration of an artistic and scientific approach to coffee, is a welcomed addition to the lagging food scene of the Financial District. Its rotating menu features seasonal, fresh crop coffees from the best roasters in the United States. © Michael Vahrenwald
© Michael Vahrenwald
In contrast to the artisanal aesthetic of contemporary coffee culture, the coffee shop?s design and material palette refers to the namesake spacecraft and scientific approach behind Voyager Espresso. Adam Snow Frampton, Principal of Only If, commented: ?From the beginning we knew we wanted to avoid the clichéd language of white tile, reclaimed wood, and exposed Edison bulbs. The material palette we developed is inexpensive yet futuristic.? The walls are clad in oriented strand board (OSB), which is transformed through the application of aluminum enamel paint. ...