Bosgaurus Nexus / NU Architecture & Design

Architects: NU Architecture & Design
Area: 70 m²
Year: 2024
Photography: Hiroyuki Oki
Contractor: Lam Weaving Spaces
City: Ho Chi Minh City
Country: Vietnam

Bosgaurus Nexus coffee shop, designed by NU Architecture & Design in Ho Chi Minh City, has introduced a scalable prototype that supports the brand’s expansion into high-end urban environments, completed in 2024. The project features a prefabricated Fly Bar system made primarily from stainless steel, with ninety-eight percent of its components constructed off-site and assembled with precision on location. Compact spatial planning enables efficient service by a minimal team, while sustainability is reflected in custom furniture fabricated from recycled coffee grounds mixed with bio-resin. The floating bar design and ambient lighting reinforce the project’s conceptual reference to orbital satellites, combining modularity, performance, and identity in a replicable café model for dense commercial contexts.

Bosgaurus BOS.Nexus was imagined as a satellite—modular, mobile, and ready to exist anywhere in the world. This ambition led us to design 99% of the components as prefabricated elements, allowing for efficient deployment and adaptability. To reflect this fluid identity, we used highly reflective materials that mirror their surroundings, enabling the structure to belong wherever it lands.
Interview with Jonathan Ng Cheong Tin of NU architecture & design

Bosgaurus nexus / nu architecture & design

Bosgaurus Nexus, completed in 2024 by NU Architecture & Design, introduces a new retail typology for specialty coffee in Vietnam. Set within The Nexus, a high-density commercial development in Ho Chi Minh City, the café was conceived as a compact satellite model that supports Bosgaurus’s flagship stores. The project reflects the brand’s strategy to expand into upscale urban locations without losing its core identity. To meet this ambition, the design had to address spatial limitations, staff efficiency, and visual clarity while remaining adaptable and easy to reproduce across future sites.

The architects responded with a modular prefabrication approach grounded in precision. Inspired by the idea of a satellite in orbit, the team developed a stainless steel Fly Bar system that was fabricated ninety-eight percent off-site and assembled with exacting control on location. This minimized site disruption, accelerated construction, and ensured consistent quality across future rollouts. Rather than concealing the modular system, the design reveals its structure through visible joint lines that establish a clear and expressive rhythm across the bar’s surface.

The spatial configuration was calibrated to support a lean staff while maintaining high service standards. A built-in self-service station encourages customer interaction and eases pressure on baristas, allowing smooth operation within the café’s 70 square meter footprint.

Material selection reinforces the Bosgaurus design language. Stainless steel expresses a clean, minimal, and forward-looking identity. In line with NU Architecture & Design’s ongoing commitment to sustainability, used coffee grounds collected from other Bosgaurus locations were mixed with bio-resin to produce custom furniture elements. This not only reduced waste but brought the product’s material reality directly into the spatial environment.

One of the defining architectural elements is the Fly Bar, which extends into the space using a modular approach. Its segmented form creates a sense of rhythm and movement, contributing to the overall lightness of the design. This visual dynamic reinforces the central metaphor of orbit and motion, aligning with the concept of a satellite café.

Lighting was critical to enhancing the spatial dynamics. Custom paper fixtures were suspended above the bar, reinforcing the satellite theme while casting a soft, diffused glow across the space. Power for these hovering forms was delivered through indirect solutions that maintain the illusion of weightlessness while ensuring adequate illumination for service.

Described by the architects as a study in how “prefabrication, durable materials, and compact planning can come together to create a meaningful and high-impact experience,” Bosgaurus Nexus functions as a strategic prototype for contemporary café architecture. It supports rapid expansion while preserving a tactile, branded experience.

This model represents more than a response to commercial growth. It reflects a broader architectural attitude toward scalability, context sensitivity, and design responsibility. Bosgaurus Nexus merges brand identity with modular innovation, creating a framework for specialty cafés that aligns with shifting patterns of urban life in Vietnam and beyond.