Forward Coffee Introduction
The aesthetic style of the café builds the urban streetscape forward. Originally located around the lumber factory in Chiayi City, the blue café stood at the street corner and moved next door to an old iron factory at the end of 2021. Collaborating with the White Water Design Team, they preserved and deconstructed old elements while incorporating new aesthetics for reconstruction. Abandoning modular design thinking, they added natural raw materials, designer furniture, and artistic paint murals and sculptures for a stylized presentation, creating a dialogue between old and new industrial styles across time, thus creating a unique coffee streetscape in Chiayi. When it comes to old houses in Chiayi, most people think of old cypress wooden houses. The newly emerged iron factory café, "Forward Coffee Workshop 2.0," has drawn significant attention since its opening. Mario, the owner, mentioned that when he returned to Chiayi to start his business in 2016, he realized that cafés are crucial elements in constructing a city’s streetscape, making aesthetic style very important. Having the opportunity to plan the second store, he emphasized this aspect further. The original intention of entering this iron factory, which had been abandoned for nearly 30 years, was for roasting, teaching, and exhibition purposes, but due to the impact of the pandemic, they decided to merge the café. What remains unchanged is that Forward Coffee 2.0 still insists on "only offering coffee and sweets." Image source: Chiayi City Government Tourism News Department | Photography: Margot
