As Canadians, we are one of the largest coffee drinking nations in the world, which contributes to the estimated 500,000 tons of waste coffee grounds created globally each year. 

Milky’s Town Square was conceived as a solution to way-finding and social distancing during the pandemic, while finding a unique way to utilize some of the used grounds from the shop. 

Designed and created with Justin Pape, the concept is our imagined Milky’s “town square”, where the town is powered by coffee instead of electricity/water. The circles on the base are a view into the coffee power source underneath the town, which lead up to a coffee fountain in the centre of the square. The structures are cast from a mixture of:

30% used coffee grounds from the shop
10% local construction debris (100 year old brick) 
Gypsum cement

The shapes are subtle indications for your eye to follow up and around to the right for way-finding, while complimenting shapes that already exist in Milky’s. The town square is a playground for the ceramic creatures that Milky’s sells, made by Toinz based in South Korea.

Materials
New materials: Gypsum Cement, Plaster, FSC Certified Wood, Non-Toxic Glue

Recycled/Reused materials: Used Coffee Grounds, 100 year old bricks from construction waste, Off-cut insulation board, Used coffee cups, Wood pieces, Acrylic Plexiglass offcuts, Screws

Video Credits
Filming, Sound effects: Justin Pape, Nicole Charles
Editing, Music: Justin Pape