Forward Coffee Introduction
The aesthetic style of the café shapes the urban streetscape, originally located at the timber factory area of Chiayi City, the blue café on the street corner moved to the adjacent iron factory at the end of 2021. Teaming up with the Bai Shui design team, they preserved and deconstructed old elements while incorporating new aesthetics for reconstruction. Abandoning a modular design approach, they integrated natural raw materials, designer furniture, and artistic painted wall sculptures to present a stylized representation that creates a dialogue between old and new industrial styles across time, making for a unique coffee streetscape in Chiayi. When it comes to old houses in Chiayi, many people picture traditional cypress wooden houses, but the new “Forward Coffee Workshop 2.0,” located in the impressive iron factory, gained significant attention upon its opening. The owner, Mario, realized in 2016 when he returned to Chiayi to start his business that cafés play a crucial role in shaping a city’s streetscape, thus the aesthetic style is very important. When given the opportunity to plan the second store, he put greater emphasis on this aspect. The original intention for entering this abandoned iron factory, which had been vacant for nearly 30 years, was for roasting, teaching, and exhibition purposes; however, due to the impact of the pandemic, they decided to merge it into the café. What remains unchanged is that Forward Coffee 2.0 continues to insist on “only serving coffee and desserts.” Image source: Chiayi City Government Tourism News Office｜Photographer: Mag.
