Fishtank Cafe / Office AIO

Fishtank is not your typical cafe location. Tucked inside an arena in Nanjing, the site was previously a storage room. It sits between two overhanging bridges, faces a four-lane ring road, and looks across an under-podium parking zone. The facade was essentially the arena's exterior, painted cold grey, with black recess lines and punctures for service vents. When Office AIO was commissioned to design this undistinguished site, it took it as an opportunity to elevate the coffee shop from a neighborhood cafe to a recognized brand. The design team exploits the cloistered and tame site, conceiving an undisturbed world. A world much like a fish tank, contained by a "non-existent" facade but relishing its own sphere of habitat.