Georgian architecture studio unveil new coffee factory cocooned in folded concrete

A Georgian architecture studio has built a coffee factory enclosed in layers of folded concrete.

Coffee Production Plant is the latest work of Tbilisi-based bureau Giorgi Khmaladze Architects. The practice’s singular building is located on a highway connecting Tbilisi to the city’s airport, and it is home to the headquarters of Georgian coffee brand Meama.

The complex is an L-shaped building which houses the coffee production plant, offices, and spaces to hold exhibitions and tastings, all encased in a bunker-like concrete cast.

From the highway, the building’s vast green roof, covered in wild grass, helps the design blend with its surroundings. On the façade, the concrete walls rise before opening up into a main lobby, where glazed walls allow natural light to penetrate into the two indoor courtyards.

The concrete outer structure of the building was poured in situ, and shaped to give the walls an angular structure. Given its singular geometry, the way sunlight falls on the building continuously changes during the day, creating a constant interplay of light and shadows. The height of the undulating roof adapts to the requirements of the indoor spaces, and blends in with the slopes of the field.

Giorgi Khmaladze Architects is one of Georgia’s most prominent modern design practices, with eco-friendly buildings designed to push traditional boundaries. One of the company’s most recent designs include a glass-walled McDonald’s and petrol station in the coastal town of Batumi.