Eco-cafe retreat / Nur Alyaa Maisarah Zamri ... [et al.]

The Eco-Café Retreat is a timber pavilion designed to provide a serene escape and vibrant community hub within an urban environment. Utilizing sustainable materials and passive design principles, the pavilion creates an inviting, energy-efficient space that seamlessly integrates with its natural surroundings. Timber, chosen for its renewable qualities and low environmental impact, forms the primary structure, offering both strength and aesthetic warmth. The open-plan layout features large windows and skylights, maximizing natural light and ventilation, while the thermal mass properties of timber and high-quality insulation ensure indoor comfort with minimal energy use. The centerpiece of the pavilion is its coffee shop, which emphasizes sustainability through locally sourced products and flexible seating arrangements that cater to social interactions. Outdoor seating on expansive decks and patios further connects patrons with nature. Landscaping elements, including green roofs and native plant gardens, enhance the pavilion's environmental harmony. The Eco-Café Retreat exemplifies sustainable design, promoting community engagement and environmental stewardship, and serving as a model for future architectural projects that balance ecological responsibility with human-centered design.