The Sustainability of Regenerative Cafes Utilizing Idle Industrial Facilities in South Korea

Jun-Sik Eom,Sung-Hoon Yoon,Dai-Whan An

doi:10.3390/su13094784

Jun-Sik Eom, Sung-Hoon Yoon + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/su13094784

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Abstract

This study investigates the sustainable values of cafes established using idle industrial facilities that are a part of the cultural heritage of South Korea in terms of the characteristics of the architectural space and consumers’ space utilization. Twenty regenerative cafes in five regions were selected, and five of them were analyzed by comparing their characteristics with those of the conventional cafes. Unlike conventional cafes, regenerative cafes have architectural spaces that seem to be non-everyday and elicit a feeling of the passage of time. Users utilized these cafes as spaces for activities and experiences for long periods compared to conventional cafes. Consequently, regenerative cafes were found to contain sustainable values as complex networking spaces, as cultural heritage that can be experienced and as independent tourist destinations. Regenerative cafes have become unique differentiated architectural spaces utilized by several users.

Highlights

IntroductionSouth Korea has witnessed a rapid increase in the number of cafes from the late 1990s
We investigated regenerative cafes that are popular these cities or their neighboring cities, because as we will discuss later, cafes in South Korea started in cities
This study evaluates the sustainable value of regenerative cafes by comparing the regenerative cafes having non-everyday architectural spaces with existing cafes having everyday architectural spaces in terms of the location of the regenerative cafe, architectural space, and the consumers’ use of space

Summary

Introduction

South Korea has witnessed a rapid increase in the number of cafes from the late 1990s. There are over 100,000 cafes, and this figure is gradually increasing [1]. Cafes have become a life-oriented business and has been established as a part of everyday culture. Cafes’ deep penetration into people’s daily lives within such a short period implies that they reflect the unique characteristics of South Korea. As many people are using cafes in their daily lives, the space of café is deeply involved in people’s lives and had to be constructed as familiar spaces.

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Conclusion