Having established the thriving cafe brand of ST. ALi in South Melbourne, coffee impresario Salvatore Malatesta was invited to establish a new cafe space on Monash University's Clayton campus. The brief called for a stimulating, vibrant and engaging student hub.

With the cafe located within the same building as the Monash Academics' Club, a design language was chosen that challenged the refined sophistication of its neighbour. A simple and raw palette of materials was selected, with plywood and exposed timber studs lining the cafe’s shell and forming the booths and bench seating.

Finer detailing is found on the bar with brass metal fittings and terrazzo stone tiling. These parts combine to make a robust whole which the students have embraced as their own. A small corner of central Melbourne’s hipster culture has been transported to this expanding university campus, with its ambitions to become a ‘city within a city’.

Country:

Boon Wurrung

Year:

2015

Status:

Completed

Gross Floor Area:

150 sqm

Client:

ST. ALi