Located in historic Union Station, we are pleased to announce the opening of % Arabica’s flagship location in Canada. Designed in collaboration with Tacklebox Architecture under the leadership of Jeremy Barbour, the design is inspired by the geological and glacial formation of the surrounding landscape.

Drawing inspiration from the layered beauty of glacial ice, folded rock, and the strata of the underlying bedrock, this space is defined by a floor-to-ceiling, faceted wall terrain. This monolithic surface is comprised of 172 faceted blocks that have been meticulously carved from 3,452 layers of stacked gypsum wallboard– a ubiquitous building material commonly sourced in the region but used here in a unique and extraordinary way.

This crisp, white geometric surface is punctuated at intervals by 24 powder-coated steel niches that house bulk coffee bags and merchandise on display. A continuous white Corian surface folds and carves space to form front and back service counters where visitors gather to receive % Arabica’s finest coffees sourced from around the globe.

photography: Eric Petschek