Forward Coffee Introduction
The aesthetic style of the café constructs the urban streetscape. Originally located near the lumber mill in Chiayi City, the blue café stood at the street corner and moved to the adjacent ironworks at the end of 2021. Collaborating with the Bai Shui design team, it retained and deconstructed old elements while incorporating new aesthetics for reconstruction. It abandoned modular design thinking, incorporating natural raw materials, designer furniture, and artistic painted wall sculptures for a stylized presentation. This creates a dialogue between old and new industrial styles across time, resulting in a unique coffee streetscape in Chiayi. When people think of old houses in Chiayi, they often picture old cypress wood houses, but the ironworks café represents a spectacular new form. "Forward Coffee Workshop 2.0" garnered attention right at its opening. The owner, Mario, stated that when he returned to Chiayi to start his business in 2016, he realized that cafés are an important part of constructing a city's streetscape, making aesthetic style very important. When he had the opportunity to plan a second shop, he placed even greater emphasis on this aspect. The original intention of moving into this abandoned ironworks that had been out of use for nearly 30 years was for roasting, teaching, and exhibition purposes, but due to the impact of the pandemic, it was decided to merge it into the café. What remains unchanged is that Forward Coffee 2.0 insists on "offering only coffee and desserts." Image source: Chiayi City Government Tourism and News Office | Photography: Mag.
