ryan carl wong, aia

2026

work done at starbucks coffee company

[responsibilities include design ideas and leadership oversight]

2025

work done at starbucks coffee company

[responsibilities include design ideas and leadership oversight]

2021-2025

As Starbucks’ second store and its first “third place,” University Village holds a unique place in the brand’s history. The project evolved through multiple design iterations. The final renovation focused on maximizing both seating quantity and variety to serve the neighborhood’s diverse clientele and large university student population, while custom commissions from local artists strengthened the store’s connection to its Seattle community.

My involvement with the project spanned a few years and multiple iterations, evolving from hands-on design in its earlier phases to creative design leadership for the final renovation. Responsibilities included concept design, design direction, design reviews, and leadership oversight through development and execution.

2024

The Bellevue Square relocation was conceived as a serene retreat from the activity of the surrounding mall. Curved forms and terrazzo flooring create a calm, fluid environment, balanced by warm wood textures that bring softness and warmth to the space. Together, the material palette and forms create a more intimate coffeehouse experience within the busy retail setting.

My role focused on creative design leadership, guiding the overall design direction and supporting the project team through design development and execution. Responsibilities included design direction, design reviews, and leadership oversight to maintain the concept and design intent throughout the project.

2024

work done at starbucks coffee company

The renovation of this longtime neighborhood cafe sets the stage for celebrating the joy of coffee as well as connection. Whether for a family or a university student, the seating is curated for all types of occasions.

Reflecting the architectural characteristics and using the most common material in the neighborhood, brick offers familiarity but used in modern application. Wood is layered throughout the space on both walls and furniture. A fireplace anchors the space, much like in many of the homes in the area.

Our design is rooted in the earth, like our coffee. Materials are expressed with simplicity. The space celebrates the natural daylight brought through the wood framed storefronts. Artwork and storytelling celebrate ritual and connection.

[responsibilities include design ideas and leadership oversight]

2019-2021

work done at starbucks coffee company

Seattle Children’s Hospital – River is a new secure access location within the hospital as the previous café was displaced by a building addition and sky bridge connection. A temporary kiosk/cart served customers for one year while hospital construction occurred in the future café location. High mobile order sales (55+%) created a need for a dedicated mobile order station with order status board.

Extensive coordination between the cross-functional project team and the hospital was required to ensure Starbucks fit seamlessly with the hospital’s renovation/addition. The infrastructure, flooring, ceiling, signage, entry locations, and material palettes are just a few of the key coordinated components.

Localization was essential to the project’s success as this café acts as a respite for the patients, families, and staff of the hospital and sets the stage for an uplifting experience. Starbucks is a destination within the entire complex with its multiple seating types and softer seats. A higher percentage of accessible seating options and wider aisles are also used to be as inclusive as possible.

The use of curved forms throughout the walls, furniture, and bar complement the conceptual “flowing” layout of the hospital’s main corridor and the “river” themed building. A calming Starbucks palette of green, caramel, and warm wood tones balances out the hospital building’s theme of yellow/red/orange colors while a custom mural by local artist Stevie Shao is more playful and brings both Starbucks and Seattle Children’s palettes together. Stevie’s mural also showcases a variety of characters and objects from the region.

[responsibilities include design ideas, drawings, vendor and consultant management, construction administration]

2021

Developed as part of the community partnership between Starbucks and the Seattle Kraken, this new store at the Kraken Community Iceplex introduced a range of digital experiences, including digital menu boards, order status boards, and a digital community board designed to strengthen connection with customers and the surrounding community.

As the designer, I led the project from concept through execution, including design development, drawings, vendor and consultant coordination, and construction administration. Close cross-functional collaboration enabled the store to progress from start to finish in less than six months - less than half a typical project timeline.

2018-2020

work done at starbucks coffee company

This cafe is a new opportunity at an iconic corner in Downtown Seattle within the lobby of the Washington Federal Headquarters Building. It is part of a larger mini market strategy for repositioning cafes within a complex trade area. An open bar and cafe layout caters to downtown customers looking for a third place environment as well as provides efficiency and throughput for anticipated high mobile order sales. A separate conference room also adds a new offering to Downtown Seattle customers.

[responsibilities include design ideas, drawings, vendor and consultant management, construction administration]

2019-2021

Jenkins at Cedar Hills Crossing is a ground-up drive-thru store in Beaverton, Oregon, where my role extended beyond the café interior to the design of the building itself. Drawing from Pacific Northwest Regional Modernism, I developed the architecture around exposed wood ceilings and glulam beams, expansive storefront glazing, and a continuous palette of wood and brick connecting the exterior and interior. A large patio with integrated seating and a cohesive lighting strategy further strengthened the relationship between the coffeehouse and its outdoor environment.

The design balanced the architectural concept with complex site and operational requirements, including city and shopping center design standards, drive-thru stacking, and a vapor intrusion mitigation system related to previous site contamination. My responsibilities spanned concept design through construction administration, including architectural design, drawings, and coordination with vendors, consultants, and the cross-functional project team.

2017-2019

work done at starbucks coffee company

Located in a highly visible intersection across from the main entrance to the Washington State Fairgrounds, this new drive thru has a larger scale presence designed with larger groups of people in mind.

[responsibilities include design ideas, drawings, vendor and consultant management, construction administration]

2016-2017

work done at starbucks coffee company

New drive thru location opportunities can be scarce in urban markets, prompting the need to convert existing buildings into new cafes. The adaptive reuse of a former Arby’s allowed for some creative solutions to address the unique geometry of the building.

[responsibilities include design ideas, drawings, vendor and consultant management, construction administration]

2017

work done at starbucks coffee company

The relocation of an established cafe store brings life to an intersection across from a new light rail station for the Capitol Hill neighborhood.
 

[responsibilities include design ideas, drawings, vendor and consultant management, construction administration]

2016-2017

work done at starbucks coffee company

As Howard Schultz’s first Il Giornale store, this cafe had a significant history to be commemorated with its renovation. A renovation of the exterior also allowed for a new exclusive patio, a rare commodity in downtown Seattle.

[responsibilities include design ideas, drawings, vendor and consultant management, construction administration]

2016-2017

work done at starbucks coffee company

A recent renovation of the historic Armory at Seattle Center also informs an upcoming renovation of a store within the main atrium space. The store is stripped down to a minimalist structure that becomes an object within the open volume.

[responsibilities include design ideas, drawings, vendor and consultant management, construction administration]

2016-2017

work done at starbucks coffee company

As Seattle’s first Opportunity Store, a dynamic building provides the foundation for a new drive thru, cafe, and training bar for the local community.

[responsibilities include design ideas, drawings, vendor and consultant management, construction administration]

2016

work done at starbucks coffee company

The adaptive reuse of an old auto garage in the historic Stadium District in Tacoma, Washington allowed for a store that adapts to the historic fabric of the neighborhood. The store embraces the existing conditions by exposing structure and articulating the added elements in minimalist ways.

[responsibilities include design ideas, drawings, vendor and consultant management, construction administration]

2015-2017

work done at starbucks coffee company

As Seattle’s first Reserve Bar store, this new cafe marries wood slat elements with raw concrete to provide a comfortable third place for customers. A minimalist approach showcases the store’s specialty equipment.

[responsibilities include design ideas, drawings, vendor and consultant management, construction administration]

2015

work done at starbucks coffee company

A new single tenant office tower at a prime corner location adjacent to downtown amenities allowed for a store that integrates an elevated Starbucks Reserve presentation and presence in a growing neighborhood. The store also accomodates access from both the street and the adjacent office tower lobby to serve a broad range of customers at different peak time periods.

[responsibilities include design ideas, drawings, vendor and consultant management, construction administration]

2013-2017

The Hamakua House is a learning center and residence for cacao enthusiasts on the east side of the island of Hawaii. A small component to a 6 acre site, the house serves as a retirement home for an artist and his partner. A dream of theirs to own a cacao farm, the house is oriented to capture sunlight, air flow and views of the orchard and Pacific Ocean beyond. Public space on the lower level include guest rooms, office space, certified kitchen for farm processing, and garage. The upper level is reserved for the private living spaces of the owners. Three separate outdoor spaces remain flexible and respond to the different activities that can occur on the property as well as the sporadic weather patterns.

2014

As Apple looked toward future products and an expanding ecosystem, Store 2.0 explored how the next generation of Apple retail could evolve alongside them. The work investigated new ways for customers to experience, interact with, and understand Apple products, while rethinking how future products and third-party accessories could be displayed within the store.

My role focused on future-store concept development, including design exploration, drawings, and the construction of full-scale mockups used to develop and test new ideas for the retail environment.

2010-2011

work done at apple inc. | callison

The redevelopment of a rotunda around the most prominent fountain at the heart of a historic city in France brings about an opportunity for a pavilion to help activate the existing plaza. The retail store acts as a new hub for people while still being respectful of the history and scale of the fountain and its surrounding buildings.

The requirement for a minimal footprint pushes the store onto two levels - display and product on the ground floor and service in the basement. A sloping and uninviting alley to the rear of the site allows for a heavier mass to conceal view of the alley from the plaza. The mass also contains all circulation and display, therefore revealing a glass box in front on axis with the fountain.

[responsibilities include design ideas, drawings, and 3-dimensional modelling in conceptual design phase]

2010-2012

work done at apple inc. | callison

The redevelopment of an infill site along Freie Strasse, one of Basel’s prominent shopping streets, required a new building that responded sensitively to its historic urban context. The design considered the scale, proportion, and character of the neighboring architecture while accommodating a new Apple retail store and its supporting back-of-house functions.

My role focused on architectural design across the conceptual, schematic, and design development phases, including design exploration, drawings, and 3D modeling.

2010-2011

work done at apple inc. | callison

[responsibilities include design ideas, drawings, and
3-dimensional modelling in conceptual and schematic design phases]

2010-2011

work done at apple inc. | callison

[responsibilities include design ideas, drawings, and
3-dimensional modelling in conceptual and schematic design phases]

2007-2009

work done at ruffcorn mott hinthorne stine

The proposed development at 10833 NE 8th Street is for a modern, iconic 32-story, 450-foot tall, Class A office tower. The Tower is prominently located in the heart of Bellevue’s Downtown Business Core District at the corner of NE 8th Street and 110th Avenue NE, the highest topographical point in the Central Business District.

The Tower is envisioned as a sleek crystalline structure with glass facades that drape freely over an inner clear glass form. The glass facades are designed to appear discontinuous at the corners and extend above the mechanical penthouse creating a prominent crown that enhances Bellevue’s skyline. Each facade responds to its solar orientation by utilizing a different shade of high performance blue-green glass. This allows for enhanced building energy performance and creates a rich play of colors on the Tower’s facades. The northern facade is faceted creating an active and visually rich surface fronting NE 8th Street; this will be a signature element when viewed from the freeway to the east. The Tower’s form is undercut at the lower floors to create a thin transparent base of ultra clear glass visually connecting the street entry to the south plaza.

[responsibilities include design ideas, drawings, and all 3-dimensional modelling and renderings in conceptual and schematic design phases]

[featured in Daily Journal of Commerce, September 24 2008]

2007

design | build studio, university of washington

The project brings a new face to a highly visible street entrance at the Danny Woo Community Garden in Seattle, Washington. Previously, this area existed as an overgrown bamboo and crack-pipe filled slope, presenting an uninviting and potentially dangerous front door to this vibrant public garden. The property manager, Inter*Im Community Development Association, teamed up with the University of Washington Howard S. Wright Neighborhood Design/BuildStudio to provide the infrastructure necessary to develop ahighly visible gathering space on the slope and flat areas fronting the sidewalk.

The sixteen-student studio agreed that maximizing the amount of seating to present the garden as more visible would help the gardeners feel safer when passing through to their individual plots, and encourage other members of the community to utilize the space.

One of the studio’s main goals involved replacing two railroad ties with reinforced concrete walls to incorporate new design features such as hillside seating, tables, and benches. Seven parallel, undulating concrete walls provide the foundation for cascading seating. A new screen provides a safe edge to a drop-off area of a nearby dumpster as well as a new gate formalizes the entrance to the gathering place.

[featured in Architectural Record, Vol. 196, No. 10; October 2008]
[featured in Crit, Issue 66; Fall 2008]