I think this is pretty much every urban coffee shop. Even some of the starbucks in Portland have local artists.

creating a space that has all the resources of a Kinko's and the specialties of a Starbucks

This could be interesting, do you mean having copy centers in coffee shops? I'm not sure if this would work logistically (coffee and paper not being the best of friends,) but putting a coffee stand in a Kinkos would probably do pretty well for local business people.

I don't know, I'm not trying to shoot down your idea, but I don't think it's all that different from what's out there already.

there was something close to this here in l-ville for a while: a coffee shop next door to a copy shop, really only separated by a partition. you had to go outside through the coffee shop's al fresco area to get in the copy shop, but the cd music was the same in both places and the guy running the copy shop was usually in the coffee shop reading the paper. you could access the wireless network in either space. all the art, however, was in the coffee shop.

i actually think this may be a good model - the slight separation of spaces. the smell of copier toner can really ruin the coffee-smell atmosphere of the coffee shop.

copy shop has moved now. farther downtown and in a place where the people running it have nothing to distract them from their work...

when i lived in mpls near the mpls college of art and design i wanted to open a storefront just off campus that could serve as coffee shop, cd lending library, and art studio spaces/stalls for rent. i always had crazy impractical ideas like this when i was underemployed and had no money even for my own rent.

i would think the problem is that coffeeshops tend to favor activities that you can sit at. (computer stuff and reading and studying). i go get coffee to sit down and do something. i can't drink coffee while moving. and if i'm copying stuff usually i'm standing up moving around...

you'd need to address the different activities and resolve them without disturbing one or anothe to make it successful.


and if you get up to make copies, someone might jack your stuff.

Is this the fifth or sixth student project posted here this week? I think the topic of the studio must be something like "bringing people together in public spaces."

A coffee shop as internet cafe, library and art gallery? I prefer the simple life and I like my art galleries to look like art galleries etc. Confusion in the urban realm is generated from particular buildings being dressed up as something they are not.

Town hall dressed as public toilets perhaps.
Museum as an office block.
Police station as garden centre.

This will not help the legability of the city.

oh yeah - and it's been metioned before - students get of your arse into a library / coffee shop and do some of your own research.

maglis - you have posted two comments and one is asking for stuff you should be researching yourself. Not good.