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Architects: CAUKIN Studio
- Area: 125 m²
- Year: 2022
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Photographs:Katie Edwards
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Lead Architects: Cassie Li, Joshua Peasley
Text description provided by the architects. The Urata community and Savusavu Rotary Club identified a unique opportunity to develop a community cafe that would serve both local and international tourists who journey between the two main towns on the island, Labasa and Savusavu.
The two main towns are linked by a 90 km road that crosses the mountains between them. It is an incredibly scenic drive with several stunning views along the route, the most iconic of which is the view that crests the hills after the Sekawa valley and renders a spectacular first sighting of Savusavu Bay. There is a small, informal lay-by here which has become a popular place for local and international tourists to stop and take a photo, gazing over the landscape – a wonderful introduction to Savusavu Bay.
However, the site had become subject to fly-tipping and littering by the vehicles that stop there. This was an example of both environmental negligence and a lost opportunity for tourism and local entrepreneurship. The new cafe will ensure that littering will no longer occur and will take advantage of the incredible views by offering passers-by the opportunity to stop and get coffee, ice cream, and cakes.
The building, owned by the Urata Village Community, will be leased to a commercial operator who will be required to hire members of the village. All of the building lease fees will go directly to the community for future development projects, providing a sustainable income and guaranteed jobs for village members. The building features an open-plan internal seating area with a series of bifold doors which open out to a large veranda for alfresco dining.
Alongside two public toilets, the building hosts a small studio apartment with a private bathroom for a live-in caretaker who will also be an employed member of the Urata community. Built entirely with locally sourced materials, the timber-framed structure has been designed to withstand future cyclones- a natural disaster event that has been increasing in frequency and severity in the South Pacific in the last few years due to climate change.
The form of the building encourages airflow through the spaces, drawing hot air out through the stack effect and maintaining a cool internal environment. The large sheltered walkways and veranda provide a shaded area to observe the view, framed by a tabletop to the front where visitors can enjoy their coffee. The exposed structure creates a layered facade and frames the walkway to the entrance.
Local tourism will be an important component of tourist activity in the short - mid-term as restrictions due to the COVID pandemic remain in force. As the pre covid international tourism market returns, the Urata Lookout Cafe will be an attraction in its own right, further boosting the potential for the cafe’s success and sustained income for the community. We would like to say a big thank you to the ARUP Cardiff office for their support on the structural engineering and for providing us with an onsite engineer for the project.
