Where design meets purpose - A café, teaching kitchen and hospitality training space - run by students at Together Academy - created in collaboration with both Together Academy and SMBC Aviation Capital
Henry J Lyons’ concept was rooted in Together Academy’s mission: to create a professional hospitality environment where adults with Down Syndrome can train and operate with dignity.
Together Academy gives young adults with Down Syndrome the skills and confidence to build careers in hospitality. Our brief was simple in ambition, demanding in execution: design a café, teaching kitchen and training space within Fitzwilliam 28 - a premium Dublin city-centre office - that would feel genuinely welcoming, commercially credible and quietly empowering for the people working within it.
Early consultation began with a visit to Together Academy's existing "Happy Out" café, listening first and designing second. Understanding how the space would actually be used - supervision sight lines, circulation habits, the rhythms of a working shift - shaped every decision that followed.
The building's "Elevated Timeless" design language was combined with the widely recognised Together Academy brand colours: exposed brick, oak joinery and bold yellow accents create an atmosphere that is approachable yet refined, sitting comfortably within Fitzwilliam 28's premium aesthetic. Banquette seating and integrated planters define clear service and circulation paths without feeling institutional. The café sits directly adjacent to the training space, allowing discreet, real-time support when it's needed.
Delivered in partnership with Together Academy and SMBC Aviation Capital.
This is Europe’s first city‑centre corporate café that models inclusive workplace design at scale.
Accessibility was treated as a design principle, not an afterthought. Height-adjustable coffee machines, automated safety features and additional barista infrastructure are seamlessly integrated into the service counter. Visual markers and biophilic elements aid navigation and comfort - support embedded by design rather than bolted on. Counter heights, lighting levels and furniture were all trialled directly with Together Academy staff before specification was finalised.
Delivering the fit-out within a fully occupied city-centre building demanded careful logistics: noisy works scheduled outside core hours, tightly managed deliveries and robust hoarding throughout. Sensory calibration - acoustics, lighting and colour - was carefully balanced to avoid overstimulation for Together Academy staff while maintaining the lively, public energy of a working café.
The result is daily, visible proof that employment initiatives for people with intellectual disabilities can thrive in premium commercial settings. The model is replicable - scalable to other corporate campuses and city offices looking to combine genuine ESG commitment with an enhanced tenant experience.
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