Bosgaurus Nexus | NU Architecture & Design

In the heart of Ho Chi Minh City’s dynamic business and lifestyle district, The Nexus, a new challenge awaited both client and architect. Bosgaurus, a pioneer in Vietnam’s specialty coffee scene, was ready to evolve. With plans to expand rapidly across the country and abroad, they envisioned a prototype café that could land gracefully within any high-end urban context while maintaining the clarity, rigor, and identity of the brand. The idea was to create a satellite café that orbits around existing flagship stores, bringing Bosgaurus to customers rather than the other way around.

But reimagining the café as a movable object required more than aesthetics. It demanded a complete rethink of how design could enhance workflow, reduce environmental impact, and communicate identity without saying a word. Within the tight confines of a commercial building, the Bosgaurus Satellite had to be beautiful and bold, yet seamlessly integrated into its environment. It had to perform under pressure with only one or two baristas, delivering top-tier coffee in high-traffic settings. And above all, it had to be replicable and scaleable.

So NU Architecture & Design responded with a high-performance prototype rooted in modular precision. Drawing inspiration from the notion of a satellite in orbit, the design team developed a prefabricated Fly Bar system in stainless steel, with ninety-eight percent of the structure constructed off-site and assembled with surgical accuracy on-site. This approach minimized disruption, guaranteed consistency, and enabled rapid deployment. The joint lines along the face of the bar do not hide this strategy. Instead, they celebrate it, turning the logic of prefabrication into a visible design rhythm.

Efficiency was not just structural. Every element of the layout was choreographed to enable fast-paced service by a lean team, including a self-serve station integrated into the bar. This streamlined workflow allows Bosgaurus to deliver a refined customer experience with minimal staff in tight urban settings.

The sensory and material language of the café is unmistakably Bosgaurus. Stainless steel reflects the brand’s minimalist philosophy while asserting a quietly futuristic edge. Sustainability was embedded at every step, with one of the most compelling gestures being the use of repurposed coffee grounds. Collected from other Bosgaurus locations, these grounds were mixed with bio-resin to form a new durable material used in the café’s furniture, allowing the very essence of coffee to live beyond the cup.

One of the defining design signatures of Bosgaurus cafés is the Fly Bar, a counter element that appears to float. At The Nexus, this was reimagined with a third of the bar visually suspended in mid-air. Achieving this illusion while maintaining structural integrity became one of the project’s most technically complex and visually rewarding aspects.

Lighting played a crucial role in reinforcing the spatial illusion. Rather than using conventional fixtures, the team designed a floating paper light that enhances the satellite metaphor. The challenge of powering an object that appears to hover was solved through calculated indirect lighting, bouncing illumination off surrounding surfaces to maintain both visual drama and functional clarity.

The result is more than a café. Bosgaurus Nexus is a prototype for the future of specialty coffee spaces. It proves that retail environments can be both deeply branded and highly adaptable, both visually refined and materially responsible. For NU Architecture & Design, this project was a chance to push the boundaries of prefabrication, rethink material life cycles, and reframe how small urban spaces can deliver big experiences.

Bosgaurus Satellite is not just a response to market expansion. It is a reflection of how architecture can adapt to our shifting cities and lifestyles. It merges design intelligence with brand vision, creating a scalable model that respects its context while standing distinctly within it. In doing so, it opens up a new perspective on café spaces – not only within Vietnam but also in broader international markets.