Starbuck Reserve leans on Wuhan’s local vibe
With more than 38,000 stores in more than 80 countries, you might believe that if you visited one Starbucks, you have seen them all. Well, grab a “cup of Joe” and sit yourself down for a Trenta-sized lesson on how the company is advancing the “third place” concept through its innovative store designs. The term “third place” was brought to prominence by sociologist Ray Oldenburg in his 1989 book, The Great Good Place, describing somewhere that people can spend time outside their homes (first places) and places of employment (second places). Third places are open to the public and designed to connect community members. In China, the Starbucks Reserve locations represent a premium tier within the coffee behemoth’s retail hierarchy, which is a perfect canvas on which to create third-place connections, explained Besson Tao, design director, WEGO Lighting Design (WLD).
Tao and the design team at WLD worked on the 382-sq meter (nearly 4,000-sq ft) Reserve store at Heartland 66 Plaza in Wuhan, China, following a “one store, one feature” philosophy for design innovation. The goal was to blend the essence of coffee culture, brand identity and Wuhan’s local vibe to create a space that radiates modernity and elegance. The coffee store’s interior mimics a deep tunnel linking two entrances, one leading outside and another into the Heartland 66 shopping center. At the heart of this tunnel lies the coffee bar, which serves as the store’s vibrant “engine.” Seeking a unique charm for the bar, the design team found inspiration in Wuhan’s majestic rivers and lakes. The ceiling above the bar is adorned with golden ribbons that mimic the undulations of water, creating a dynamic and irregular surface that symbolizes Wuhan’s waterways and stands out as the store’s signature element.
Tao acknowledged that it was crucial to pinpoint the ideal locations to embed the fixtures within the sinuous golden-ribbon ceiling without disturbing its aesthetic. The design team wanted the fixtures to blend seamlessly—not conspicuously protruding or set too deep—to avoid unwanted side illumination of the ribbons, which could detract from the intended visual effect.
“The design team agreed on two core principles: the lighting must accentuate this striking ceiling feature and all fixture installations must maintain the ceiling’s aesthetic integrity,” Tao said. “We achieved this through ‘collaborative lighting,’ designing custom pendant lights that brighten both the bar and the golden ceiling, complemented by upward-facing floodlights on the product display shelves. This strategic lighting spotlights the coffee store’s standout feature, crafting an entrancing visual anchor while fostering a cozy and sophisticated ambiance.”
The lighting system carefully maintains the ceiling’s clean lines and visual appeal, utilizing a minimal number of fixtures to fulfill the space’s varied and intricate lighting needs. To cater to both the ambient and task lighting demands of the central ribbon ceiling, WLD developed a bespoke pendant light that casts light both upward (which enhances the golden ribbons) and downward (including a glare-reduction feature to ensure customer and staff comfort at the bar).
The project primarily employed compact, surface-mounted spotlights that were 80 millimeters (3 in.) in diameter with a height of 130 millimeters (5 in.). The lights were utilized for their versatility; the internal lamp head is capable of 350 deg of horizontal rotation and 30 deg of vertical tilt, allowing for flexible positioning. Designed to integrate seamlessly into the ceiling, the fixtures remain flush to the surface, ensuring that their placement is not constrained by the furniture below and contributing to the ceiling’s orderly appearance.
To reach a state of order, WLD had to navigate a little bit of chaos. During the course of cooperating with the shopping center, WLD faced challenges due to strict regulatory requirements affecting the lighting design, such as those pertaining to fire sprinklers and smoke extraction vents. Achieving the integration of light fixtures with the mandated ceiling components necessitated extensive dialogue and multiple design iterations to reach a satisfactory outcome, Tao added.
Overall, Tao praised the creative freedom presented by the Reserve stores: the iconic Starbucks brand identity plays a subtle role within the broader design context, and adheres to the company’s commitment to building more “Greener Stores” globally by 2025.
“The orderly display of lights, the warmth of the high-color-rendering index and the minimized glare culminate in a hospitable environment for patrons and a congenial workspace for employees. The lighting, particularly the illuminated ceiling, bestows a captivating allure upon the café, drawing the attention of customers within and outside the shopping center. Furthermore, by significantly reducing the number of functional lighting fixtures and employing dimmers to adjust the lights’ output, we have optimized energy efficiency and curtailed both the lighting budget and energy consumption.”
At A Glance
- The project earned a 2023 IES Illumination Award of Merit.
- Luminaire manufacturers included VF Lighting, OCM Lighting and GEOSHEEN Lighting.
- Illuminance levels (main areas): seating area: 200 to 300 lux; coffee bar: 500 to 600 lux; display wall: 800 to 1,000 lux.
THE DESIGNERS |
- Besson Tao is design director at WEGO Lighting Design
- Paul Xiao is a lighting designer at WEGO Lighting Design
- Zhi Peng Li is a lighting designer at WEGO Lighting Design
Photos: Starbucks China.