Chinese studio Onexn Architects has squeezed Joys cafe into a space less than 2.6 metres wide in a street in Shenzhen, which used to house an air conditioner repair shop.
Narrower than one of the parking spaces outside, Joys serves drinks and pastries from a counter behind an entryway framed by built-in shelves and benches.
Joys cafe is just 2.6 metres wide
Seating spills out into the street outside. Inside, private office space on a mezzanine floor above the counter is accessible via a retractable ladder.
Despite its small size, Onexn Architects wanted the nine-square-metre cafe to encourage local residents to connect with each other.
The narrow cafe used to be an air conditioner repair shop
Joys is located in Xiangmi Third Village, a part of Shenzhen that was built in the 1990s. In recent years, the area has lost many of its community facilities, and its green spaces have been turned into high rise developments. "One of the goals that we shared with our client was to restore a public node on the premise of meeting functional needs," explained the architecture studio.
"The first time we inspected the site, we found many air-conditioning parts and oil stains were scattered in front of the entrance, so people had to detour to pick up clothes from the laundry or take medicines from the pharmacy next to the repair shop," added Onexn Architects.
"There was limited space where residents could stay since the site left a mingled, neglected or blurred imp...