[THE CAFÉ PHENOMENON] Is the Café a New Opportunity for Architects?

SPACE May 2023 (No. 666)

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[OPINION] Is the Café a New Opportunity for Architects?​​

participants

Kang Yerin professor, Seoul National University + Lee Chihoon, co-principal, SoA, hereinafter SoA
Kang Woohyun + Kang Youngjin co-principals, Archihood W×Y, hereinafter Archihood
Kim Jeongim principal, Seoro Architects, hereinafter Kim
Na Unchung + Yoo Sorae co-principals, NAMELESS Architecture, hereinafter NAMELESS
Moon Jooho principal, BOUNDLESS, hereinafter Moon
Yoon Seunghyun professor, Chung-Ang University, hereinafter Yoon
Chung Hyuna principal, DIA Architecture, hereinafter Chung​

Q1. What are the reasons behind the rapid growth in café architecture? 

The Café (dabang) has a long history as a meeting space for people to talk and network. On the other hand, the popularity of café architecture, which can be considered a relatively recent phenomenon, is the result of social factors such as capital concentration, an increase in one to two member households, and an increase in housing prices. This implies that it is a phenomenon that occurs concurrently with a demand for space that cannot be met by the narrow houses on offer in the city centres, as well as the trend for space consumption through social networking platforms (SNS). Kim

Perhaps it has to do with the need for another kind of place. Wouldn’t that support the idea that there are not many places for people to spend their free time other than their homes and workplaces? When the Coronavirus Disease-19 circumstances worsened and chairs were removed from cafés, I heard that people living in the Gosichon (refers to residences of civil service examinees) had a difficult time as they had nowhere else to go. SoA

During the pandemic era, café spaces where people may readily enjoy cultural and leisure activities were lauded, as opposed to more ​public cultural areas where reservation systems were widespread. The paradoxical sense of publicness of a café, which is a space for commerce and consumption, stems from the fact that people of every class can readily visit to enjoy—rather than functioning as a space geared towards particular people. NAMELESS

In recent years, I believe that a culture of consuming and sharing architectural experiences has emerged. It is undeniable that the widespread use of SNS has contributed significantly to the emergence of such a phenomenon. And the rapid growth of café architecture must be the outcome of entrepreneurs’ and investors’ prompt reactions to the aforementioned trend. Archihood

Q2. What opportunities do you think café architecture poses to architects? What impact do you believe it will have on architectural culture? 

The duty of designing new space to meet the desire for high-quality space: if this can be deemed an opportunity, it is one offered to architects. However, I have doubts about café architecture, in the same way that I have doubts about whether a model house is architecture. Aside from being excellent or poor, there should have been prior awareness and ​discussion about whether the architectural society should promote such commercialised spaces of consumption, but that period for preparatory discussion was skated over. There is a distinct difference between the quality of architecture and the quality of a space. The standard of good architecture does not simply represent a well-finished building with a good use of space, right? We should think about what is lacking from that equation. Chung

Café architecture has the propensity to become the talk of the town when it adopts a unique form or exclusive atmosphere, which directly impacts sales, thus it must be relatively easy to obtain client agreement to try anything new. In terms of design, most cafés are not large in scale and have few functions to accommodate, as well as legal regulations, so it can be an opportunity for architectural trials and tests. Kim

If we turn the question around, I think this provides an opportunity to consider the background to why this boom in such a specific building type is occurring today. This enables the search for any public place and architecture that might serve as a substitute. Also, the enthusiastic response to café architecture results from a rejection of standardised living spaces, ​so perhaps people want architects to design spatial experiences that are out of the ordinary. With the assurance of café’s future economic power, another opportunity might be noted that café architecture has a relatively bigger construction budget than other types of buildings. SoA

Café architecture as a third space has the potential to allow people to freely gather and exchange ideas while also providing individuals with a different and unique spatial experience. This ambiguous territory might be thought to be a riff on café architecture. Since it necessitates multiple narratives between the context of a specific place and the user experience, this architectural type, which requires an architectural identity more than any other facility, may serve as an opportunity for architects while simultaneously fostering greater diversity in architectural culture. NAMELESS In terms of spatial composition, cafés have fewer constraints than buildings of other functions, making it an ideal project in which to realise the architect’s varied ideas and experiments. Architects now have greater opportunities to assist areas other than architecture, such as landscaping, furniture, and branding, thus I feel that ​high-quality buildings are being built. Archihood

As if coffee and pastries were just bait, the key to success for a large-scale café is to have a competitive edge in order to seduce users. As a device for such seduction, […] large-scale cafés are witnessing an unusual phenomenon in which an opportunities are sought through the creation of value according to architectural standards. I wonder whether there were any other case studies in Korean history that rates architectural competence so highly. This may possibly be regarded as an architectural version of Korean Wave. Yoon

Q3. What does café ​​architecture mean for your own practice?

It has less complicated design requirements than those demanded by other facilities, and so I consider it to have relatively fewer design constraints. Except for the number of seats and parking spaces that must be assured, the narrative of the experience that users encounter after ordering a drink is usually assigned entirely to the architect. I find it meaningful because you get to be in possession of the entire process of designing, from planning to interior design. SoA

Unlike the spaces of multiple functions, visitors to a café ​do not have a clear purpose. With such a broad sense of purpose, architecture gains autonomy.  […] Thinking about what experiences architecture creates and how it might inspire users leads me to think about the essence of architecture beyond café architecture. NAMELESS

Because a café is an image-consuming space, I enjoy finding a balance between the challenge for architects to find new bold expressions for their designs in the midst of today’s growing trend and a spatial design that assumes the imminent change in the trend for an unchangeable form of spatial design. Moon

We are not very interested in designing buildings that faithfully fulfil the café’s original functions. Rather, we continue to practice by focusing on the various experiences that users might come to take ownership of through architecture, as well as achieving a harmony and balance with surrounding environments. So that it can serve as a café now, but even if it changes uses, it can still function as an excellent space in the future. Archihood

Q4. If we were to classify ​types of café architecture, what standards and characteristics should we take into consideration? 

I think the programme, rather than the type, is important. Previously, architects had a propensity for interpreting ​a programme uniformly, as if they were reading a textbook. However, there must be creative perspectives and spaces for tests and experiments to be able to more accurately interpret and define the café as a programme in order to increase commercial viability. There must be a lot to learn from there. Chung

I would prioritise categorising based on location, such as the city centre, the outskirts, and its scenery. When the client selects the site, the budget and the business goal must be different according to the location. Also, the client’s propensity and methods for using the space vary greatly depending on the context it is placed within, influencing the direction of architectural planning. Kim

Not only the content, but also the scale, can be used as criteria. Ranging from the scope of an airport or a harbour to a neighbourhood commercial facility, the size of café architecture can vary greatly. As I looked at the hybrid of an urban infrastructure and a café, I thought about such public facilities. SoA

The difference in café architecture is a consequence of the context of the place. The site conditions such as the laidback outskirts, a densely populated city centre, a neighbourhood directed by ​the rhythms of daily life, and old regeneration space, form the purpose and types of users for café architecture. Therefore, it can also be categorised based on the experience of users who visit the place, rather than based on the construction point of view. NAMELESS

Three stands could be considered: Locational characteristics (whether in the city centre or on the outskirts), types of space occupation (whether leasing or one’s own), and the quality of the content (consumption-type content or sustainable-type content). Moon

I think there must be a place that just provides space and time, as well as a place that additionally offers spatial experiences. The former focuses on the café’s original efficiency in terms of function, but the latter is a place that gains a public profile by providing a new experience and generates added value as a result. Archihood

After all, the market will continue to squirm due to demand and the trend for the distinctive. The commercial value of architecture will also continue to be questioned, and this propensity will accelerate. I believe it will become a competitive stage for experimentation in order to maximise the architectural conception with its values – in terms of the scenery of the building’s ​form, the resourcefulness of the place, the formativeness of the space, the content of the programme, and the regeneration that captures the sense of time – into the production values. Yoon

Q5. How do you think ​café architecture relates to a sense of placeness and locality?

Placeness and locality are consistent concepts based on ‘sustainability’, and the current trend of interior-design-oriented café architecture feels irrelevant to such concepts. Café spaces that appear to have drawn in elements from European streets or ruins from the recent past may be responding to the desire for new spatial experiences. In that sense, café architecture is a trans-regional and trans-periodic space that transcends placeness or locality. Perhaps it is a new futuristic concept with no restrictions on the period, sense of place, or city. Chung

Since it is a facility that a whole host of individuals visit, it has a significant impact on the neighbouring region. From parking, in a micro sense, to the expansion of the visitor’s interest in the surroundings, in a macro sense, often generating a dramatic change in the entire neighbourhood because of a single café, as if it were in a dream. I think it is the architect’s competence to revitalise the ​philosophy of the owner and the characteristics of the place, as well as to locate an intersection where it can coexist with the region. Kim

I think the ‘suburbs’ are changing. 10 or 20 years ago, weekenders who used to barbeque meat and drink at the ‘Garden’ near the city centre have evolved into people who have pastries and sip coffee in a café that actually has a garden. I am intrigued by the way the cafés in the suburbs link with nature. SoA

I would say that is a matter of choice. I think café architecture is a spatial type that can expand the possibilities for placeness and locality and display and express a broader variety of causal relationships. I wish the primary agents responsible for creating spaces could more freely express their creativity. Moon

The second most popular tourist attraction in Haenam, Jeollanamdo Province, is a large-scale café. Given the state of the countryside and old city centres, which are struggling due to a lack of appealing places, I think cafés are making a significant contribution to regional revitalisation. However, if this is not supported by the region, it will be hard to maintain. This is why it is important to consider the device in regard to expanding the opportunity and influence ​on the surroundings. Yoon 

Q6. What kind of changes might occur in the field of café architecture?

As a person who values architecture in its classical sense, I think café architecture is an architectural aspect of the new era. Even more so, I am concerned about its continuous change in accordance with the trend of relying on consumption, namely the phenomenon of the building itself having a shorter lifespan and readily falling into disuse. Perhaps the issue that architects must figure out is how to make architecture live without being consumed. Chung

Due to the retirement of the baby boomers, shorter working hours, and diversified shift patterns, the demand for café architecture will continue to rise, and there will be even more diverse experimentation, such as complexation with other functions. It is important to consider how to reconcile uniqueness with universal and sustainable values. Kim

Even though it is not a new construction, much work has been performed already on the café project. In reality, a considerable number of architects began their architectural careers with a café interior design project. I plan to watch with great interest what this practical ​experience will lead to in terms of cultivating a as yet unknown architectural trend. SoA

Café architecture focuses on the narratives of space while expressing its own taste. The point that we are concerned with is the architectural experience itself, which is freely accumulated to the people of every class, rather than the architectural style, which is tailored towards certain persons. NAMELESS 

I think there will be a growing polarisation between the ordinary café where people spend their time within the scope of their daily lives and the café that provides a special experience with a specific purpose. There must be an exploration into the balance between the spatial element that can grant unchanging value through construction in terms of consumer space and the spatial element that is more adaptable to change. Moon

The present heat on the café will fade someday. Perhaps they will fuse with buildings of other uses, broadening its denotation. At the current moment, when interest in spatial experience is at its peak, architects should not focus on the immediate profit but rather on creating a higher-quality space and using it as an opportunity to promote the improvement of popular architectural culture more broadly. Archihood

For the young adults who frequent cafés, cafés serve as a place to celebrate and take photos as proof of their own conspicuous consumption. The crucial issue is how to make architecture a permanent structure that remains an object of interest for users who continuously crave change and uniqueness. Yoon

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