Cad Coffee Nhazi Ime Ụlọ Kafe by Yi Zhou

Cad Coffee Nhazi Ime Ụlọ Kafe by Yi Zhou is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Ihe Nrite A' Design Award nke Ọlaọcha in Nhazi Ime Ụlọ na Ngosipụta Competition Category.

ỌlaọchaIme Ụlọ· 2026

Cad Coffee Nhazi Ime Ụlọ Kafe

by Yi Zhou

Client: Dayi Design

Ihe Nrite A' Design Award nke Ọlaọcha Winner in Ime Ụlọ 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 Nhazi Ime Ụlọ Kafe

Cad Coffee bụ ime ụlọ kafe e mere n'ime ebe mbụ bụ ụlọ ọrụ simenti dị n'akụkụ ogige ntụrụndụ obodo na Jiangsu, China. E debere okpokoro na nkwado konkịrị e ji ígwè wusie ike nke mbụ, jirikwa ígwè kwado akụkụ ụfọdụ. Nnukwu enyo sitere n'ala ruo n'uko ụlọ na-eweta ìhè ehihie n'ime ma na-emeghe ọnụ ụlọ ndị ahụ n'ebe ogige ahụ dị. A haziri mpaghara ọrụ dị iche iche gburugburu ebe a na-ere kọfị dị n'etiti, ha gụnyere oche ndị a doro n'usoro elu na ala, tebụl osisi, akwa e ji machie oche, na ihe nkewa nwere ọrụ dị iche iche. E si n'ógbè ahụ nweta osisi eji ọzọ na akwa siri ike. Ebe ahụ ruru square mita 1000.

The Recognition

About the Ihe Nrite A' Design Award nke Ọlaọcha

Cad Coffee Nhazi Ime Ụlọ Kafe meriri A' Design Award nke Ọlaọcha, nnabata dị oke ugwu e nyere design ndị dị n'ọkwa kachasị elu, mara mma ma na-eju anya. Ndị meriri na Ọlaọcha bụ ọrụ na-egbu maramara nke ukwuu ma dị oke nzụlite nke na-egosi ọmarịcha ihe ọmụma, talent na nghọta nke ndị designer ha. A na-atụ anya na Cad Coffee Nhazi Ime Ụlọ Kafe ga-abụ ọrụ dị ịtụnanya, ihe nlereanya, nke dị oke ọrụ ma dị omimi n'ihe ọhụrụ. Design a meriri A' Design Award nke Ọlaọcha bụ ihe e mepụtara dị oke ịrịba ama, nke a na-eto nke na-erite uru ma na-ebuga oke nka, sayensị, design na teknụzụ n'ihu. Cad Coffee Nhazi Ime Ụlọ Kafe bụ ihe e kere eke ọtụtụ ndị na-ekwo ekworo ya nke na-akpali ọchịchọ, na-eweta mmetụta ọma ma na-akpali ịtụnanya.

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.