Bosgaurus Coffee Roasters by NU Architecture: A Performative Café in Ho Chi Minh City

Located in Nguyen Sieu, Ben Nghe, within the dense fabric of Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1, Bosgaurus Coffee Roasters’ flagship café occupies a site steeped in historical and cultural resonance. Just steps from the Saigon Opera House, the project is informed by more than proximity; it draws from the performative spirit of the opera itself. The architecture takes cues not only from the aesthetics of the adjacent landmark but from its function as a space of ritual, precision, and spectacle.

Bosgaurus Coffee Roasters Technical Information

• Architects^1-7: NU Architecture & Design
• Location: Nguyen Sieu Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
• Gross Area: 300 m² | 3,230 Sq. Ft.
• Completion Year: 2023
• Photographs: © Hiroyuki Oki

We envisioned the space as a stage, where the baristas are not hidden behind the counter but become performers; elevating the act of making coffee into an open, shared experience.

– Jonathan Ng Cheong Tin and Yumie Le of NU Architecture & Design

Bosgaurus Coffee Roasters Photographs

Spatial Strategies and Experiential Design

The design, led by NU Architecture & Design, operates on a conceptual framework that repositions coffee-making as a form of live performance. Within this paradigm, the barista is reimagined as a performer and the café as a stage. This approach defines the architectural strategy, shaping both spatial hierarchy and the visitor experience. The preservation of the existing Art Deco-style façade, repainted in neutral tones, signals a careful negotiation between past and present while referencing the Opera House’s muted elegance.

The plan revolves around two primary elements: a grounded bar and the elevated “fly bar,” a cantilevered structure that becomes the spatial and symbolic focal point. These elements are not merely programmatic; they are performative. The grounded bar anchors the space, while the fly bar projects outward, supported by a single structural point embedded in a two-tonne concrete foundation. The resulting gesture is audacious and precise, producing a sense of lightness that belies its engineering complexity.

Spatial sequencing is orchestrated to foster dynamic interaction between baristas and guests. Varying levels and seating arrangements allow patrons to engage with the preparation process from multiple viewpoints; some at eye level, others observing from elevated positions. This vertical stratification breaks from the conventions of traditional café planning, introducing a layered experience more akin to theater seating than hospitality.

Transparency plays a central role in the spatial strategy. Frameless full-height glazing dissolves the boundaries between interior and exterior, allowing visual continuity across indoor, semi-outdoor, and open-air zones. This openness contributes to a feeling of permeability and accessibility, reinforcing the notion of the café as a public-facing cultural space rather than a closed, commercial entity.

Materiality, Structure, and Sustainability

Material selections are minimal yet deliberate, emphasizing restraint and cohesion. Custom stainless steel furniture introduces a subtle industrial character while balancing the visual mass of the central bar. The furniture’s slender profiles help maintain a sense of spatial openness and visual clarity.

Surfaces and finishes are sourced with sustainability in mind. Water-based, low-emission materials from Nora Design Italiano are used throughout, aligning with the project’s environmental objectives. These surfaces contribute to healthier indoor air quality and lend a subdued tactility that complements the overall architectural expression.

The fly bar serves as both a structural statement and a spatial divider. Its cantilevered form appears weightless, yet an intentionally visible foundation grounds it. This juxtaposition between mass and lightness, visibility and concealment, underscores the project’s commitment to structural honesty.

Environmental responsiveness is embedded into the building’s fabric. The spatial layout encourages cross-ventilation through strategically positioned openings and semi-outdoor areas. A central skylight void is a solar chimney, enabling passive cooling by drawing hot air upward while illuminating the space below. The lighting design is calibrated to time and mood: 4000K lighting enhances clarity during the day. It shifts to a warmer tone in the evening, contributing to the transformation of the café from daytime workspace to an ambient night bar.

Bosgaurus Coffee Roasters Programmatic Identity

Bosgaurus Coffee Roasters positions itself beyond the typical parameters of a café. It becomes a social condenser where culture, craft, and community intersect. The architectural strategy resists the purely functional or commercial logic often defining food and beverage design. Instead, it constructs a platform for the ritual of coffee to unfold as a shared and observable experience.

The café contributes to an ongoing architectural discourse surrounding the role of performance in spatial design. Its organization and tectonic expression foreground the act of making as a central narrative, challenging the tendency to hide labor behind polished surfaces. In doing so, it offers a compelling counterpoint to the increasing commodification of hospitality spaces.

Bosgaurus Coffee Roasters Plans

Bosgaurus Coffee Roasters Image Gallery

About NU Architecture & Design

NU Architecture & Design is a multidisciplinary studio in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, led by Jonathan Ng Cheong Tin and Yumie Le. The practice is known for its refined spatial compositions that merge cultural narratives with material clarity. NU Architecture approaches each project as a dialogue between performance, craft, and context, blurring the boundaries between architecture, interior, and environmental design to create conceptually rigorous and experientially rich spaces.

Credits and Additional Notes

1. Lead Architects: Jonathan Ng Cheong Tin, Yumie Le
2. Lighting Design: NU Architecture & Design
3. Landscape Design: NU Architecture & Design
4. Structural Engineer: SaigonIC
5. Key Manufacturer: Nora Design Italiano (ecological surfaces and finishes)
6. Custom Furniture: Stainless steel loose furniture designed by NU Architecture & Design
7. Client: Bosgaurus Coffee Roasters