Hasta La Ideas

Architecture studio Kengo Kuma and Associates has used steel and mesh to form a web-like canopy around its Cs Somme Cafe in Fukuoka, Japan.

Built from a framework of interlocking steel parts, the design by Kengo Kuma and Associates creates an earthquake-resistant structure for the single-storey cafe.

The cafe itself is contained in an inner rectangular volume, connected to a network of steel beams supporting the mesh canopy, which the studio said is a “modern version of a flying buttress”.

“We designed an ethereal cafe drifting on a small green in a big city,” said Kengo Kuma and Associates.

“Wrapped in mesh, the cafe shimmers like a mirage: an oasis floating in the middle of the urban landscape,” the studio added.

“The interlocking of the arched steel frame supporting the mesh and the grid-like steel frame supporting the inner rectangular boxes ensures sufficient earthquake resistance in spite of the thin members.”

Externally, Cs Somme Cafe is flanked by a car park on one side, while extensive glazing on its opposite facade overlooks a landscaped outdoor space.

According to the studio, the web-like canopy helps to reduce the cafe’s energy demand by limiting solar gain. However, where it meets the ground, a series of arches provide outward views for visitors.

Accessed from the street via a walkway, visitors enter into a minimalist interior, where a white polished counter stretches around the space.

White walls, concrete flooring and steel elements serve as a backdrop, set off by wooden seating that runs alongside the bar.

A translucent light fixture made from fabric reminiscent of the building’s mesh canopy hovers above the counter.

Additional details inside Cs Somme Cafe include a large piece of wood that doubles as a sliding door behind the staff’s preparation area.

Elsewhere, Kengo Kuma and Associates recently updated a Kyoto hotel with a theatre stage built from a timber skeleton.

Other cafes recently featured on Dezeen include one in London with rolling metal shutters used to shield its glass front and a boba tea shop in Mexico City with polycarbonate walls.

The photography is courtesy of Kengo Kuma and Associates.

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