Cycle Cycle mobile bakehouse
Cycle Cycle mobile bakehouse is a pop-up café and bakery. The client wanted to explore the relationship between food and land in this project, which perfectly matches the design philosophy of our studio – use architecture as a mudium to connect people and the land.
The overall form of the project is inspired by a barn. The wooden structure features shading board on the front and rainproof canopy supported on top at the back, with stacks of grain sacks as façade and ladder on the side, referencing a straw shed for resting commonly seen on farmland. The mats on the rainproof canopy and the rough texture of the fabric in their primitive state present the beauty of wild nature.
We used stacked grain sacks as façade, combining the form of bricks and tactile sacks. Small openings are intentionally left in between the sacks, allowing the internal movement such as coffee making and bread packaging to be seen from outside, while inviting natural lighting into the building. A semi-private space can also be created by raising the shading board and releasing the curtains.
Its prefabricated modular structure allows it to be transported to various locations. Details such as the placement of the grain sacks, and the length of the curtain are figured out on site with input from architects, builders and even random passers-by, adding a sense of impromptu. During construction, we did not put fences up, allowing passers-by to fully engage with the creation of the structure.
We want to maximise its flexibility and mobility, able to be adapted in various environment, creating a new public space within an urban city. To encourage people to interact with the structure, the bottom of structure forms a low seating area inspired by the low bench used for farmers who work close to the ground, while the grain sack façade is used as back cushion, with drapped down curtain, offering a sense of privacy.
By documenting the reception of the pop-up from city to city across China, we are able to witness how it’s been used, which sometimes is not what we intended as architects but interesting for us to explore and adapt when moving on to the next location.
