Located within the newly inaugurated Techo International Airport, Brown Coffee’s latest flagship cafés mark a new chapter in Cambodia’s architectural and cultural journey. Designed by HKA + Partners, in collaboration with Brown Coffee and artist Sopheap Pich, the spaces blend artistry, craftsmanship, and contemporary design into a refined experience that welcomes travellers with warmth and identity.
Each café reflects a distinct interpretation of Khmer aesthetics: Brown TIA Art View, situated on the Head House’s departure floor, and Brown TIA Departure Gate A32, a pop-up island above the gates. Together, they embody Cambodia’s creative spirit in the country’s most ambitious infrastructure project to date.
The Challenge: Merging Function and Cultural Expression
HKA + Partners was tasked with translating Brown Coffee’s brand values of comfort, craft, and community into a design that resonates within an international airport context. The goal was to create an environment that is functional, fluid, and deeply rooted in local meaning.
Drawing inspiration from Khmer vernacular forms and natural materials, the team balanced a modern, efficient layout with tactile warmth. The result is a space that feels grounded yet open, offering travellers a serene pause before their journeys.
Brown Coffee TIA Art View – A Dialogue Between Art and Architecture
The BROWN Coffee TAI Art View, located within the main departure hall, unfolds as a quiet dialogue between architecture and art. Its calm palette of wood, rattan, and soft lighting evokes the feeling of sitting beneath leafy shade.
A focal point of the space is Birds Fly by Flapping Their Wings, a suspended sculpture by Artist Sopheap Pich. Crafted from bamboo, metal, and enamel, the work anchors the interior in movement and symbolism, a metaphor for travel, growth, and resilience.
The composition of light and shadow across the café transforms it from a retail space into an ephemeral landscape. As light shifts, so does the perception of space, mirroring the transient journeys of the passengers who pass through.
Brown Coffee Departure Gate A32 – Trandition in Contemporary Expression
Located above the departure gates, Brown TIA Departure Gate A32 reinterprets the iconic Khmer roof through a contemporary lens. Constructed with epoxy resin infused with palm leaves, the ceiling glows with a soft translucence, a poetic meeting of past and present.
The layout opens on both sides of the walkway, creating an island of calm and connection amid the flow of travellers. The design captures the essence of From Leaf to Light, where natural materials, light, and craft merge into a timeless expression of Cambodian identity.
“Architecture in Cambodia is not only about building new icons. It’s about continuity, about keeping the spirit of our culture alive through spaces that move people.”
Blending Function with Vision
For Brown Coffee, these new airport cafés go beyond serving coffee; they serve as ambassadors of Cambodian creativity. By blending vernacular wisdom with contemporary design, HKA + Partners crafted environments that are welcoming, expressive, and unmistakably Khmer.
Each traveller who passes through experiences not just a café but a glimpse into Cambodia’s evolving cultural identity, rooted in tradition and designed for tomorrow.