Architects' cup of coffee: Mobino by Metaform x Atelier Kräizbierg

It is no secret that caffeine is a significant enhancer of not just the creativity and productivity in a workplace but is also the power source for extending interactions beyond a corporate environment. Coffee is practically the dominion of creative perseverance for any designer. Metaform architects, a Luxembourg-based design studio, collaborated with Ateliers Kräizbierg from Luxembourg to harness the importance of the beverage and designed the ingenious Möbino espresso cup for those who love coffee as much as they love creative design.

“Metaform’s main intention with this project is to highlight the honourable activity at Kräizbierg, thus helping and providing education for specially-abled people while focusing on social belonging. It is important to mention their motivation and high competence in supporting them through their daily encounters. This is about much more than a cup,” says Shahram Agaajani— Founding Partner of Metaform

The Möbino cup incorporates a ceramic swirl that aims at enhancing the aroma of the beverage. It is created and manufactured exclusively in Dudelange, Luxembourg and offers all of its proceeds through sales to Ateliers Kräizbierg for supporting people with disabilities. Metaform designed the cup to protect the integrity of the coffee’s crema- the aromatic froth crowing the beverage.

“We are very proud that, after months of research and testing, we found an innovative solution to make this beautiful design come to life. It is a successful partnership where design meets ambitious craftsmanship,” expresses Marc Bissen— Head of Management at Ateliers Kräizbierg. The design draws inspiration from the ‘Mobius strip’- a single, continuous surface that symbolises infinity and is twisted into an eternal curve. The sinuous structure of the Möbino cup allows the coffee to slide along the sides and down to the base of the cup in a continuous unbroken swirl. The spiralling motion of the coffee ultimately retains its natural crema for a fuller, lasting taste.

Interestingly, the espresso cup is designed in a double-wall structure that maintains the hot temperature of the coffee inside the cup without disrupting the temperature of the user’s relatively cold hands. For the cup, Metaform also drew inspiration from the Luxembourg pavilion as its winning entry for the Dubai Design Expo 2020. The Möbino cup is a dynamic reflection of the intense, open and effectively sustainable creative spirit that the pavilion and ultimately the landlocked country holds.

At Ateliers Kräizbierg's ‘SIS’ that is a cooperative organisation with eight separate workshops aimed at teaching new skills and possibilities for people with disabilities, each item is created, sculpted, and hand-glazed by a dedicated team of talented individuals. Which works well with the company’s vision of improving the moral, social and material situation of people with disabilities. Furthermore, Metaform Architects, as managed by Shahram Agaajani, Thierry Cruchten and G.G. Kirchner is a multidisciplinary design firm that works with its signature style of approaching each project in a daring and creative way.