Milan. Birthplace of the contemporary espresso brew, and the natural home for Starbucks’ new high-end café and roastery concept. The first outlet in Europe under the brand’s upscale Reserve Roastery umbrella, the space is a celebration of the city’s coffee traditions, combining an elegant tasting room with a state-of-the-art roastery.
Working under a global framework agreement with the client, Arup provided architecture, project management and engineering services, together with permit consultancy and statutory roles to drive the project from concept to cappuccino.
The heart of coffee in the heart of Milan
Located in Piazza Cordusio in the centre of Milan, Starbucks' new space presents an upscale ‘theatre of coffee’, offering an immersive experience that takes customers on a journey through the bean roasting process to the grinding and brewing methods.
Conceived as a luxury Willy Wonka-inspired coffee factory, the café and roastery encircle the copper-clad roasting cask, a stunning piece of industrial engineering. The bespoke design, created from high-quality finishes and materials, pays tribute to the legacy of Italian design and craftsmanship.
Exposed transparent pipes convey top-quality coffee beans from silo to cask, feeding freshly roasted batches back to the main bars. Premium pastries from Italian artisan baker Rocco Princi add to the experience, creating an innovative retail space with a respectful nod to tradition.
An artisanal tribute to Milan’s coffee heritage
Symbolically located at the historical heart of the city’s business district, the Reserve Roastery - the first of its kind in Europe - sits within a turn-of-the-century-palazzo, formerly the city’s stock exchange. A key technical challenge for this project was the sympathetic installation of Starbucks’ state-of-the-art roastery within the walls of this magnificent, protected historic building.