City Hill Coffee

Airport Retail Enterprise engaged Greater Group to develop City Hill Coffee for Canberra’s domestic terminal. The brief called for a compact coffee format that could serve the pace and convenience expected of airport travellers while still creating a recognisable hospitality experience within a relatively small footprint.

The opportunity was to give the concept a genuine connection to its location. Named after City Hill at the centre of Canberra, the venue needed to feel specific to the city rather than like an interchangeable airport coffee kiosk. With limited space available, that identity had to come through clearly in the few elements customers interact with most.

Greater Group concentrated the design around the counter, bringing service, product display, branding and customer flow together within a single element. The compact format meant every design decision needed to contribute, with materiality, graphics and detailing used to establish City Hill Coffee as a complete hospitality concept without adding unnecessary complexity.

Greater Group developed the concept through to detailed documentation, resolving the design so it could be accurately delivered by others. The approach balanced the practical requirements of a high-traffic airport coffee offer with enough character to give City Hill Coffee its own presence within the terminal.

The completed City Hill Coffee demonstrates how a compact airport format can deliver both operational efficiency and a considered customer experience. Within a small footprint, the counter brings together the essential functions of the venue while giving the concept a clear identity connected to Canberra.

The project was awarded Silver at the 2020 Melbourne Design Awards for Interior Design, Hospitality, On the Go, alongside Greater Group’s Noodles XO project within the same terminal. Together, the two venues show how distinct hospitality experiences can be created for different customer needs within the same airport environment.