The new location serves drinks and pastries while cultivating professional coffee baristas and bakers who are thrilled to interact with customers. The shop bears the brand’s German style and spirit and meets the needs for diverse functions and experiences.

To accommodate the brand’s multi-faced operation, the free plan concept proposed by German architect Mies van der Rohe for the Barcelona (German) Pavilion for the 1929 International Expo was employed. The space is divided by columns and defined by furniture arrangement. Minimalism is employed to reveal the essence of the space, where people and objects write their own stories in flowing natural light.

Inspired by the German Pavilion of Mies van der Rohe, the colonnade experience of a European plaza is replicated using 15 columns, fulfilling the free plan concept.

The columns along the wall divide customer and staff areas, creating a colonnade effect which gathers people around the central bar surrounded by the seating area. The original windows, sparse and separate, have been replaced by panoramic panes spanning the entire wall, opening up the long side of the space to connect indoors and out.

The colonnade, plaza, and the view of the outdoor landscape form a 3-part floor plan that carries forward—customer traffic is reduced as natural light decreases further into the space.

The 1st floor is modeled after a plaza, and focuses on mobility. The 2nd floor is designed after a theater, and focuses on stability. The columns with custom-made wall lights resemble street lamps. The DIY coffee roasting station resembles an outdoor booth and offers olfactory, tactile, and visual experiences. Coffee baristas showcase their skills inside the central bar. Seats along the window resemble the random seating observed in outdoor plazas.

The 2nd floor uses the stairs as a border, with “hot and cold zones” are set up progressively inward according to the change in traffic volume. The “hot zone” is furnished with lightweight tables and chairs, while the “cold zone” offers built-in couches, resembling theater box seats to encourage extended stays.

kafeD has worked with affiliated companies on environmental topics, as reflected in their products and services, and thus requested the use of recycled materials to express their green vision.

The 1st floor ceiling and the 2nd floor booths were painted with natural pigments containing minerals and rice stalks, reducing environmental impact by repurposing farm waste. A century-old olive tree has been planted outside the panoramic windows, suggestive of the brand’s focus on wellness and organic products. Mies van der Rohe created the German Pavilion during an era of pursuing democracy and progress. As a designer living nowadays, the designer sees this rational space as an interpretation of modernism, expressing romantic ideas and environmental concerns through a scientific approach.