HAY COFFEE is an independent boutique coffee shop that goes deep into the community. It has been in operation for six years. Turtlehill Architectural Design was commissioned to renovate the coffee shop, which was also the second spatial renovation for it.

When discussing an iteration of a store, we always expect it to be a refreshing new look. However, we are not willing to see the traces of the past completely erased, especially when it comes to a coffee shop that deeply connects with the community. Therefore, Turtlehill Architectural Design expects that the interior design for HAY COFFEE will not only update and optimize the brand style, but also continue the stories happened in this place.

This reminds us of the landmark scenic spot in Guangzhou: Beijing Road Millennium Ancient Road. Beijing Road is the central axis of the ancient city of Guangzhou, which has been in use for nearly a thousand years. Through the glass floor, visitors can see the pavement relics of 11 different dynasties, from the Tang Dynasty to the Republic of China.

The thickness of each dynasty is different, layer by layer, just like the sections of history, condensing hundreds of years into a square inch. If we compare the changes in catering stores to changes in dynasties, the updates in design become the witness of historical accumulation. Then, can we also reveal the history of the site through preservation of building components like the Beijing Road Ancient Road Ruins?

With this in mind, the original decoration was preserved deliberately while meeting the functional requirements of the owner, trying not to destroy the old appearance as much as possible. We only removed the debris and cleaned. The new design is attached directly to the original wall, like a new layer of history. Additionally, several windows are placed on the new partitions. In these windows, you can see the cut plane of the space and the layers of historical traces as if excavating an archaeological site. The cut surfaces of these openings are not treated with any decoration.

The materials and structures, such as the light steel keel, water and electricity pipelines, plywood, the old elm, and white latex paint, are all exposed to the public. They are not intended to show the exquisite skills of craftsmen or compare the value of materials, but to exist as a section of time.

The design tries to regard every spacial iteration as a history of dynasties and preserves the past life and history of the space, while connecting the past and present of this community.