Judo Espersso Dojo Cafe / Nhoow Architects
Text description provided by the architects. JUDO ESPERSSO DOJO is a 26-square-meter community coffee shop located in the old urban area of Chengdu. The space itself is a regular square shop that can be seen everywhere. The shop owner named it “Judo” after director Du Qifeng mentioned in the movie ” Throw Down ” that “Judo teaches you to fall”, and she hopes to have a comfortable and casual atmosphere here, where every guest can feel at home and finds their own personal ways in “Judo”.
This reminds us of a construction site office, or a back alley. In the chaotic and intricate urban landscape, what is moving is the operating logic and life hidden behind the shiny “veneer”.
Therefore, our design directly exposes the base and structure. The space retains the original state of the wall after the ceramic tiles were removed, and glass magnesium fireproof boards are affixed to the height of use; through the polycarbonate hollow board on the top surface, you can see the newly replaced insulation film and rectangular tube keel, exposed colored wires and EVA semi transparent film cloth in the storage room; gangboards recycled from the construction site are used on the floor; the furniture is composed of aluminum profiles and multi-layer paint-free boards.
We don’t make signboard at the front door, but directly display the rectangular tube keel. Those signboards made for the sake of making are better not to make.
The door curtain is made by fashion designer Wang Yuanyuan. We make air holes on the translucent thin edges, sew them with polyester braided rope and angle steel, and then connect the door curtains through zippers. Users can flexibly open and close them according to seasonal weather and needs. At the same time, the translucent film can also enclose the indoor space and create a comfortable light atmosphere. “Judo teaches you to fall.” We hope we can all find our own personal ways in this dojo.
