studio_GAON builds a small brick-clad bakery amid a forest in south korea

situated in the woods of dangjin, south korea, studio_GAON designed café piora for the daughter of a family of bakers. built between a forest, a low-lying mountain and a field of barley, the modest intervention welcomes visitors all year round to the idyllic location and warm atmosphere.

image by kim yong kwan

12 years ago, the family that owns the bakery moved to the rural area to set up a restaurant on the site. after also studying cooking, the daughter, who is in her 20s, decided to build a bakery next to her parents’ restaurant, becoming studio_GAON‘s youngest client. 

image by kim yong kwan

at first café piora was to be positioned on a wide area in front of the parents’ restaurant. however, after some issues gaining building permission from dangjin city hall, they chose to set the building on a spot where the cheongbori field and the forest meet, a place abundant with trees and grass, and next to a small stream of water.

image by kim yong kwan

when developing the project, studio_GAON tried to leave the surrounding nature as untouched as possible. the final design twists the building to avoid trees and waterways. the bakery therefore folds like a curve, with the original trees standing like guards in front. a terrace was also formed along the front of the building, which was covered with a canopy and lowered again at both ends.

image by kim yong kwan

the interior of the small café is mainly occupied by baking space, meaning there are just few tables inside. instead, most guests will go outside to the hill overlooking the forest and barley field to enjoy a picnic.

image by kim yong kwan

the construction went very smoothly from spring to summer, thanks to exceptionally fine weather. the name of the café – piora – symbolizes the appearance of a hill that blooms in all seasons. the bakery was finished in a simple brick cladding, making it blend into the colors of the forest.

image by kim yong kwan

studio_GAON hoped that the shape of the bakery, which was lifted slightly from the ground, would give a feeling of coming out of the woods and entering the forest again. from winter to spring, people will come for the green barley fields, and the corn fields in the summer, but the bakery will remain in the background all year round. and with the inviting smell of baked bread, café piora will bring warmth to people’s daily lives even in the middle of winter.

image by kim yong kwan

image by kim yong kwan

image by kim yong kwan

image by kim yong kwan

images by studio_GAON

images by studio_GAON

image by studio_GAON

project info:

project name: cafe piora

program: bakery

location: dangjin, south chungcheong province, south korea

design: studio_GAON