AOI CELESTIE Coffee Roastery by Yuko Nagayama & Associates

Located at the corner of Nishiki-dori Street and Route 153, directly across from Nagoya Shinsakae-machi Station, the AOI CELESTIE Coffee Roastery is conceived as a new community landmark. Commissioned by a Nagoya-based logistics company, the café is part of a larger community facilities complex designed to enliven the local area. More than just a place for coffee, the project serves as a social nucleus, combining hospitality, culture, and architecture to foster connection within a dense urban fabric.

A Courtyard as the Heart of the Complex

At the base of the complex, a multi-purpose event hall occupies the basement, while the café spans the three floors above. Central to the design is a courtyard garden, located above the hall, that introduces nature into the project and organizes circulation. One side of the courtyard is subtly elevated, allowing for a high-side window that channels natural light down into the basement.

The courtyard features an olive grove, offering greenery and calm in stark contrast to the surrounding high-rise apartments and the city’s constant motion. This open-air element anchors the café, ensuring that natural light and views permeate every level of the building.

A Roof that Appears to Float

Above the courtyard and café, a dramatic expansive roof unifies the entire composition. Designed to appear as if it had “fallen from the sky,” the roof creates a sense of shelter while maintaining lightness and openness. Covered in specially crafted Tajimi tiles, the surface features a distinctive blue gradation, producing the project’s most recognizable architectural gesture.

The unique glazing process of the grooved border tiles creates subtle shifts in tone, allowing the roof to change character throughout the day. In sunlight, it sparkles like rippling water; during rainfall, the grooves guide water into the garden below. More than a technical feature, the roof becomes a poetic device, blurring the boundary between architecture and natural phenomena.

Spatial Sequence and Program

The café unfolds across three interconnected floors arranged around a vertical atrium.

• First Floor: This level contains the serving counter, kitchen, and roastery. Seating niches recessed into the floor along the façade connect customers directly to the outside world, turning the bustling street into part of the café’s experience. Transparency and openness dominate, ensuring the activity of roasting and brewing is on full display.

• Second Floor: Entirely dedicated to seating, this level overlooks the courtyard garden. The olive trees outside create a calming atmosphere, making the café feel like a retreat despite its location on a major urban thoroughfare.

• Third Floor: The top level features a bar, positioned directly under the floating roof. From here, patrons enjoy layered views: the bustling interior, the tranquil courtyard, and glimpses of the city beyond. This vantage point reinforces the dual identity of the café as both an urban observatory and a community refuge.

Materiality and Atmosphere

The design employs a restrained yet evocative material palette—wood, glass, and concrete—that emphasizes contrast between solidity and transparency. The extensive glazing allows light to animate the interiors throughout the day, while the warm textures of wood introduce a sense of intimacy. The courtyard’s greenery softens the palette further, creating a dialogue between architecture and landscape.

The large roof, with its shimmering blue gradation, defines the atmosphere of the entire complex. Acting as a protective canopy, it frames the café as a “white space” within the city—a place of pause, reflection, and community gathering.

A Symbol for the Neighborhood

Beyond its architectural qualities, AOI CELESTIE Coffee Roastery fulfills its mission as a cultural and social landmark. By integrating an event hall, courtyard garden, and multi-level café, the project creates a layered experience that is at once civic and intimate. It invites both locals and visitors to linger, share, and connect, positioning the café as a symbol of contemporary urban life in Nagoya.

With its floating roof, immersive courtyard, and thoughtful spatial sequence, the roastery demonstrates how architecture can elevate a commercial program into a community asset. It stands not just as a destination for coffee, but as an enduring presence in the city—an urban living room where the everyday is infused with light, nature, and collective experience.

Photography: Nobutada OMOTE