![]() ![]() As a designer, I was initially excited by the quality of some of the architecture. These developments have permanently altered the continent’s urban outlook, and have offered it something different from the bland pastiche of colonial architecture that it was once known for. ![]() There are currently at least twenty of these new cities under construction in Africa and about twice that number in the works. This new narrative is also about Africa’s gleaming skyscrapers, massive shopping malls, and ambitious “smart” cities being designed and built from scratch: Ebene Cyber City in Mauritius Konza Technology City in Kenya Safari City in Tanzania Le Cite du Fleuve in DR Congo Eko Atlantic in Nigeria Appolonia City in Ghana, and others. The tired, age-old storyline-largely woven around the stereotypes of poverty, disease, and bloody civil wars-has been replaced with one celebrating the continent’s unprecedented economic growth and relative political stability. In the last two decades, the African narrative has changed phenomenally. This article was originally published by Common Edge as " Tale of Two Cities: Unravelling the Brutal Backstory Behind Africa’s Emerging Megacities." ![]() As such, they are planned by Starbucks designers who, instead of settling for standardized designs for all locations, have worked diligently to incorporate features expressing regional, historical contexts and the lifestyles of locals-in short, to appeal specifically to the Japanese market.Ī rendering of Eko-Atlantic City, Lagos, Nigeria. Notably, almost all of Japan’s 1,245 shops-across all 47 prefectures-are directly run by the parent company. It’s been 20 years since Starbucks opened its first shop in Japan, bringing a new paradigm to the country’s coffee shop culture-and creating a new, appealing “ third place” option between home and work or school. This article was originally published on Autodesk's Redshift publication as " Starbucks Japan Pursues a Local Flair Through Design in BIM and VR." The Sanjo Karasuma Starbucks in Kyoto was renovated and re-opened in September 2016. The latest coffee flavors are presented within an aesthetic incorporating the concept of “beauty in simplicity” espoused by tea master Enshu Kobori. ![]()
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