Jazelyn Tan

Exchange

Located in the bustling city of Melbourne, EXCHANGE is a joint venture between a Japanese Matcha company and a local coffee company to foster the exchange of rituals between each other. Not only is it a cultural diffusion of Japanese tea culture into the Melbourne coffee context, but it also grows a cross-culture community where people of different user groups, mainly focusing on the 5 user groups; coffee and tea experts, coffee and tea lovers, elderlys, tourists and office workers to come together and create dialogue of their usual rituals. Tea and coffee have always been the social lubricant where people always come together in presence of them. From planting to sourcing to brewing to drinking, the process involves a community of people.

During the day, it revolves around the morning routine of getting a cup of coffee or tea in the cafe and teahouse, to creating unexpected encounters in the co-working space and vertical green plantation. At night, the building immerses into self-relaxation where visitors get off their modern gadgets and embrace reconnection to humans while soaking in a hot thermal spa or enjoy a unique brew in the rooftop bar. Never mind it be for impromptu meetings or casual conversation, the spaces in the building aim to encourage visual connectivity to spark interest inside out and aim to strengthen the community bond through a series of programs.