2m2 architects designs korean café with a skip floor layout and contrasting materials

the daebong-dong commercial project has been carried out on a side road of the old quarter of daegu city, south korea. in 2010, as the korean singer kim gwangseok’s streets were being built around, the area became a popular neighborhood where many young people would visit on the weekends. a new cafe street was being formed as the cafes voluntarily entered around the daebong-dong community service center. this trend resembles when, in the mid 2000’s, street atmosphere changed as cafes started entering in hapjeong-dong and sangsu-dong, while the business area in hongdae expanded with cafes as well.

the daebong-dong commercial project has been carried out on a side road of the old quarter of daegu city

the legal floor area ratio is 220 %, meaning korean based 2m2 architects could design a building up to 550 m² on a 4-story scale. however, the project team wanted a building with a floor area of about 200 m², which is a little different from other building owners. the client, whose purpose is not to pursue rental profit, plans to run a bakery and cafe directly. so, the architects designed a building that does not stand out too much compared to the neighboring buildings, but has its distinct features and can be combined with the neighborhood atmosphere with 1/3 of the legal maximum possible size.

the project team wanted a floor area of about 200 m², which is a little different from other buildings

usually, a franchise company would have a large floor area, but in a neighborhood that has its own distinct characteristics, 2m2 architects believed that was not the case. so, a large floor was divided into several small spaces. for this purpose, the architects set the basic direction as a skip floor, and it is a two-story building, but it actually became a space of four floors up to the outside deck on the roof. on the same floor, a concrete wall was exposed in the middle and divided it into two parts again. the floor and ceiling finish produces contrasting effects. the first floor was constructed with a wooden herringbone pattern, and the concrete slab and beam are exposed for the ceiling finish. the design team polished the concrete slab on the 2nd floor finishing, allowing the concrete to have its own texture, and the ceiling was finished with a wood loose louver to contrast it. in addition, by installing a skylight, natural light enters the room during the daytime.

 the concrete slab is polished on the 2nd floor and the ceiling is finished with a wood loose louver to contrast it

there are many unique cities in korea, which are comparable with other famous cities in the world. there are also many historical towns. over the last few decades, the cities have experienced rapid development and change. as a young architect, lee junghee, founder of 2m2 architects, thinks that there are many roles to bring vitality to each alley in the neighborhood. rather than just designing a building to maximize lease revenue with the logic of capital simply in the understanding and support of the owner, he has designed and supervised in hopes of making a place to be loved by many people who are visiting daebong-dong.

by installing a skylight, natural light enters the room during the daytime

lee junghee, founder of 2m2, thinks that there are many roles to bring vitality to each alley in the neighborhood

the first floor was constructed with a wooden herringbone pattern

on the first floor, a concrete wall was exposed in the middle and divided it into two parts

the wooden louver contrasts with the building’s concrete walls

the architects designed a building that does not stand out too much compared to the neighboring buildings

the client, whose purpose is not to pursue rental profit, plans to run a bakery and cafe directly

2m2 architects has designed in hopes of making a place to be loved by people who are visiting daebong-dong

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edited by: apostolos costarangos | designboom