PJ’s Coffee Shop

Running parallel to Freret Street, Tulane University’s Percival Stern Hall sprawls across the school’s main pedestrian walkway, and would completely cut off this artery but for a large breezeway below. The large, covered open area of 6,240 square feet, with an overall height of 16 feet, was chosen as the site of a campus coffee shop, and proved an ideal place for a small architectural installation.

Arrangement of the shop within the space was governed by utilization of the breezeway: A constant flow of pedestrians, cyclists, and wind moves along an east-west route, mainly in the southern portion of the space. This installation anchors itself between the four massive, existing columns of Percival Stern on the north side of the space. This preserves the generous thruway, while the light materials make an elegant contrast to the imposing structure of the existing building. The physical separation of the new and old structures emphasizes the transitory nature of the architecture.

The south façade of the coffee shop is the public edge and presents itself as a full-height glass storefront curving between — but not touching — the columns, maintaining and respecting the physical element of movement that characterizes the space. Interior and exterior are connected visually, and linear staging of the shop ensures that movement within the building will emulate that of the outside. Translucent glass on the north façade provides privacy for the office and storage areas of the program.

Location 6602 Freret Street, Tulane University, New Orleans Completed 2004 Size 952 sf