Cad Coffee Hoʻolālā Loko Hale Kope by Yi Zhou

Cad Coffee Hoʻolālā Loko Hale Kope by Yi Zhou is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award Kala in Hoʻolālā Loko Hale a me Hōʻike Competition Category.

KalaLoko Hale· 2026

Cad Coffee Hoʻolālā Loko Hale Kope

by Yi Zhou

Client: Dayi Design

A' Design Award Kala Winner in Loko Hale Category

20,288

Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #174342

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Cad Coffee Hoʻolālā Loko Hale Kope

He wahi loko hale kope ʻo Cad Coffee i hoʻonohonoho ʻia i loko o kahi hale hana simeni kahiko ma ka ʻaoʻao o kahi pāka kūlanakauhale ma Jiangsu, Kina. Ua mālama ʻia ka iwi a me ke kino simeni hoʻoikaika mua, me ka hoʻoikaika hapa ʻana i ke kila. Na nā pā aniani nui mai ka papahele a i ke kaupoku e lawe mai i ka mālamalama o ka lā i loko a e wehe i nā lumi i ka ʻāina pāka. Ua hoʻonohonoho ʻia nā wahi hana a puni kahi pākaukau kope waena, a komo pū nā noho papa ʻanuʻu, nā pākaukau lāʻau, nā uhi lole, a me nā pā hoʻokaʻawale hana lehulehu. Ua loaʻa ka lāʻau i hoʻohana hou ʻia a me nā lole kalakala mai kēlā wahi kūloko. He 1000 mika kuea ka nui o ka wahi.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Kala

Ua lanakila ka hoʻolālā Cad Coffee Hoʻolālā Loko Hale Kope i ka A' Design Award Kala, he ʻike hoʻohanohano nui loa i hāʻawi ʻia i nā hoʻolālā kiʻekiʻe loa, nani a kupaianaha. He mau hana ʻālohilohi loa a hana noʻeau nui nā lanakila Kala e hōʻike ana i ka loea, ka makakoho a me ka ʻoi aku o ka noʻonoʻo o kā lākou poʻe hoʻolālā. Manaʻo ʻia ʻo ka hoʻolālā Cad Coffee Hoʻolālā Loko Hale Kope he hana kupaianaha, kūlana ʻoi aku, ʻoihana kiʻekiʻe a hou loa. ʻO kēia hoʻolālā i lanakila i ka A' Design Award Kala he mea hoʻokumu kūpono loa, mahalo ʻia e hāʻawi i ka pōmaikaʻi a hoʻoneʻe i nā palena o ka hana noʻeau, ka ʻepekema, ka hoʻolālā a me ka ʻenehana. He mea i ʻeleu ʻia e nā mea he nui ka hoʻolālā Cad Coffee Hoʻolālā Loko Hale Kope e hoʻāla i ka makemake, lawe mai i nā manaʻo maikaʻi a hoʻāla i ka kamahaʻo a me ka mahalo.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: This design revitalizes a former cement factory adjacent to a city park into an open, layered coffee space. Retaining the building's raw structural form and historical traces, the renovation introduces expansive glazing, natural lighting, and modular zoning. Functional areas extend around a central coffee bar, meeting diverse social and individual needs. The result is a fluid, quiet retreat that harmonizes industrial memory with organic textures and urban leisure.
Dimensions & Packaging: The space spans a total of 1000 square meters. Its structural shell uses reinforced concrete, with partial steel frame reinforcement. For fenestration, it features custom French floor-to-ceiling glass panels. Inside, the layout includes tiered seating, integrated wooden counters, textile upholstery, and multi-functional partitions. Natural finishes dominate, paired with curated greenery and art to add spatial layering. Passive ventilation and strategic solar exposure optimize indoor comfort and lighting balance throughout the day.
Tags: Interior Design, Adaptive Reuse, Coffee Space, Industrial Renovation, Nature Integration, Minimal Intervention, Spatial Layering, Daylight Design, Cement Factory Conversion, Emotional Design
Production Technology: The project employed minimal intervention principles, retaining the original concrete shell and frame. Locally sourced materials such as reclaimed wood and coarse fabrics were prioritized to reduce carbon footprint. Large glass panels and French windows were retrofitted to engage the outdoors, while natural light strategies replaced artificial lighting. Restoration over remodeling guided the process, preserving both structural integrity and aged textures.
Design Challenge: The greatest challenge was balancing preservation with intervention honoring the cement factory's raw essence while introducing comfort and adaptability. Regulatory constraints, structural aging, and limited mechanical systems posed technical hurdles. Externally, expectations of renovation equals polish were resisted. The team redefined value as emotional atmosphere over perfection, transforming ruins into a warm, contextual, and shared emotional terrain.
Research: This spatial research explores how adaptive reuse and minimalist renovation can provide emotional refuge within urban settings. Using qualitative site observation, user interviews, and behavior mapping, the study evaluated the impact of spatial openness, daylight, and material tactility on visitor well being. Insights informed design decisions promoting detachment from daily stress. The result: a model of micro-escape architecture balancing emotional need with urban reuse.
Inspiration: Inspired by the emotional fatigue of modern life, the design reinterprets the act of drinking coffee as a pause from relentless urban rhythms. Drawing on the symbolism of ruins, wilderness, and fragmented time, the space merges a disused industrial shell with lush parkland. The aim is not nostalgia, but to plant a quiet unfamiliar moment a detour in life's fast-moving track where visitors reclaim presence through light, nature, and texture.
Project Duration: The project started in February 2024 in Jiangsu, China and finished in June 2024.
Operation Flow: The space invites users into a seamless transition from city park to cafe, with natural light guiding circulation. Centralized around the coffee counter, zones for group gatherings, solo reading, or business interaction unfold intuitively. Elevated seating introduces spatial rhythm, while outdoor garden terraces blur boundaries with the landscape. The space adapts to individual paces whether lingering alone or casually socializing within an open, sensory rich environment.
Patents: Copyrights belong to Cong Lin, 2024.
Image Credits: Image #1: Photographer Cong Lin, Cad Coffee, 2024.
Image #2: Photographer Cong Lin, Cad Coffee, 2024.
Image #3: Photographer Cong Lin, Cad Coffee, 2024.
Image #4: Photographer Cong Lin, Cad Coffee, 2024.
Image #5: Photographer Cong Lin, Cad Coffee, 2024.