Canal Café in Venice serves espresso made with water sourced from the Venetian Lagoon, showcasing a blend of architecture and sustainability. Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, it features a mobile espresso station connected to a system of tanks and filters that purify lagoon water. This unique approach addresses fears of contamination and flooding, particularly relevant in the context of climate change. The purification combines natural and mechanical methods, ensuring the water is both clean and retains essential minerals, embodying the essence of Italian coffee culture.
"While the canals and lagoon are the source of the city's historical wealth and beauty, they also elicit fears of contamination and flooding - concerns that are heightened in an era of mass tourism and climate change," Diller Scofidio + Renfro said.
"Canal Café reaches beneath the photogenic surface of the city by converting these brackish waters into the comforting scent and taste of espresso - the irreducible Italian pleasure."
The purification system combines natural filtration and mechanical filtration to result in clean, potable water, according to the firm.
Water flows up from the lagoon through a transparent pipe and is split into two streams. One flows through a natural membrane bioreactor - described as a "micro wetland" - where salt-tolerant plants facilitate purification.
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