IDIN Architects from Bangkok, Thailand always conceives projects that inspire and lift the spirit through form and even function. As the winner of The Social Space at the 2024 INDE.Awards for Harudot By Nana Coffee Roasters, Chon Buri, the architects know how to dazzle with their designs and, in the latest Nana Coffee Roasters project, they have done it again.

Nana Coffee Roasters, Central Westville is located in Nonthaburi, approximately 20 kilometres from Bangkok, and is the sixth hospitality destination for the brand. Each of the cafés is unique and the designs distinctive, reflecting the local culture, appropriate materiality and of course the site. With the Central Westville venue, a small footprint of just 150 square metres provided challenges for the architects but was the impetus for wonderful creativity.

The concept was developed after a conversation with the owner of the Nana Coffee Roasters brand as he recalled his business journey and being able to see the “light at the end of the tunnel.” This story combined with the small site inspired IDIN Architects to design a cave-like structure containing space within space. The layers of volumes are sequential and differ in size, imitating the spatial dimension of caves.

The negative spaces created through the formation of the volumes are filled with an interlocking waffle structure with various spacings presented in the same textured dark grey tone to imitate a natural stone surface. The lighting is designed within the grids of the structure, highlighting the central foyer, which is the main area from the entrance. The foyer then flows into other areas of different volumes within the building.

A mezzanine floor has been included creating another zone of seating for meetings or group activities such as coffee cupping. Painted white and with a wall filled with murals that tell a pictorial story of Nana Coffee Roasters, it looms large in direct contrast to the dark colour below.

This project combines architecture and interior design seamlessly, where each is as important as the other. The exterior wrapped in stone veneer encloses the interior and controls the natural light that penetrates. Light and shadow interplay and the whole creates a dramatic aesthetic.

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The furniture features rounded organic forms that respond to the interior volumes, while seating has been arranged according to the various spaces, with private single seats through to places for families or a group. The colour palette of grey and black, copper and timber tones reflect the materiality and is perfectly in tune with the architectural and design intentions.

Again, IDIN Architects has created not simply a place to have a good coffee and meet with friends but an experiential destination that excites the eye. The art of coffee making and the enjoyment of drinking the dark beans is encapsulated in this project, and the locals and tourists who frequent the café are the winners.

IDIN Architects was established in 2004 by Jeravej Hongsakul and IDIN takes its name from Integrating Design Into Nature. The studio perceives nature in two ways. Firstly, it can be defined as the surrounding ecology and, secondly, it refers to different mannerisms and personalities. The design philosophy of IDIN is to merge this sense of the natural surroundings to an architectural aesthetic and this is achieved through a process of analysing and prioritising the different needs and requirements of each project. The studio has won a swathe awards including multiple INDE.Awards and is at the forefront of design in our region and beyond.

Through exceptional design and an enlightened client, Nana Coffee Roasters, Central Westville makes a mark on the social landscape of Nonthaburi and is doing it with incredible style.

IDIN Architects
idin-architects.com

Photography
DOF I Ground

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