Sustainable Cambridge Development Opts For Container Café

Bourn Quarter is a new development by Mortimer/RE, designed with sustainability at its core. Just a few miles west of Cambridge, it’s already become a space for innovative businesses.

As part of the project, we supplied a café made from a 20ft high-cube shipping container. With two hydraulic serving hatches, it doubles as a coffee & food spot as well as a flexible space for events. All with the aim of becoming a go-to spot for people from across the development to mix and gather.

A container café proved to be the perfect fit for Bourn Quarter: functional, sustainable, and designed to complement its surroundings.

“We wanted a cafe on site to provide occupiers with somewhere to go and mix and to meet other occupiers on the site which is quite large. The adjacent paved area was always planned as an event space for us as developers or for occupiers & marketing events, so the container was an ideal solution.”- Chris Mills, a Consultant at Mortimer/RE.

THE DESIGN

We worked closely with Mortimer/RE, to design a café that suited both the operator’s needs, and the site’s environment – both functionality and design were important for this build.

The internal layout was designed around how the café would be used day to day. The operator, Highland Group Ltd, provided a detailed list of equipment, including a large food display chiller, which we used to plan the space efficiently. Every appliance was considered early in the design, along with the associated plumbing and power requirements.

The chosen exterior was the popular timber clad in a hit-&-miss pattern, which gives the unit a clean and modern feel that fits in well with its location on the Bourn Quarter development. A decision to include two serving hatches – one on the long side and one at the end – gives more flexibility for when the café is used in busier times or events.

One of the most useful steps in the process was creating a 3D CAD render of the proposed unit. This gave the Mortimer/RE team a clear picture of how the café would look and function before anything went into production, making it easier to fine-tune the layout and get confident sign-off before the build began.

THE CONVERSION PROCESS

With the design finalised, our container conversions team began work on the fabrication. Serving hatches and a pedestrian access door were installed, and the unit’s sides were reinforced with metal strips in preparation for the external vertical cladding battens. Once the structural modifications were complete, the unit headed to our on-site spray shop, where it received a full coat of black paint.

Internally, the walls were insulated and lined with white PVC hygiene panels, an ideal finish for food and drink container conversions, as they are hygienic, easy to clean, and highly durable. Power sockets were installed to suit the café layout, ensuring appliances would be within easy reach of a connection, along with plumbing for a main sink and a separate hand wash sink positioned by the door. An air conditioning unit was also installed, with a remote control provided inside to maintain a comfortable working environment year-round.

Externally the unit was cladded with timber battens in a hit-&-miss pattern, for a clean, modern finish. Inside, worktops, sinks and appliances are installed, including an electric countertop convection oven, two upright 600ltr fridges, and a food display chiller set into a stainless-steel worktop.

The completed unit was then transported by one of our lorries to the Bourn Quarter site and safely craned into position by our experienced drivers.

LOOKING AHEAD

The café is more than just a place for food and drink for those working on site. It can also be used for events, whether by businesses based at Bourn Quarter or by the developers themselves. Mortimer/RE has hosted events at Bourn Quarter throughout previous summers, and the café now provides a clear focal point for those kinds of gatherings.

Mortimer/RE also hope it will become a place the wider community can use: “The operator, The Highland Group, runs a garage close by which has a very good cafe operation which many employees walk to anyway, so this saves them the journey. We also hope that locals from Highfield Caldecote and Bourne will use it once established as part of a dog walking route”.

SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainability is central to the vision for Bourn Quarter. The development has been designed well beyond the minimum planning requirements, with a clear focus on environmental performance. It is targeting Net Zero Carbon in operation, and all tenants sign up to green leases as part of their commitment to long-term sustainability.

Container conversions offer a naturally low-impact alternative to traditional construction. By repurposing existing materials rather than building from scratch, we help reduce waste and extend the life of high-quality steel that would otherwise go unused. Our conversions team reuses and repurposes every viable part of containers, with all work carried out at our Suffolk HQ.

We’re also working towards our own target of reaching net zero by 2050, meaning we were well aligned with the aims of Bourn Quarter, and a good fit for delivering a café that reflects the wider goals of the site.

TESTIMONIAL

Chris Mill, Consultant, Mortimer/RE

CONCLUSION

The completed container café at Bourn Quarter fits seamlessly into its surroundings, providing more than just a place for coffee, but a flexible, and welcoming space that helps people come together.

At Portable Space, we have experience in converting containers for a wide variety of industries. If you think your business could benefit from a similar café conversion, give our team a call or fill in our conversion form with your details, requirements and any drawings.