THINKFE 5.0 / Yasemin Pehlivan
Yeni Nesil Kahvehane
New Generation Kahvehane is a contemporary Social R&D Center inspired by the traditional coffeehouse culture of Kahramanmaraş, reinterpreted through the human-centered lens of Society 5.0. The project proposes a hybrid space that integrates media production, social innovation, and technology within a culturally rooted architectural language. Positioned as both a creative hub and a platform for urban dialogue, the building acts as a living archive of the city’s memory while simultaneously projecting its voice into the digital realm through publications, podcasts, and interactive exhibitions.
Acting as a “think factory,” the New Generation Kahvehane cultivates idea generation, critical dialogue, and interdisciplinary collaboration. By uniting community members, creatives, and professionals, it transforms traditional knowledge-sharing methods like storytelling and conversation into contemporary media formats. This dynamic, inclusive space bridges local identity with global networks, becoming a hub for both production and cultural transformation.
One of the key elements of the design is “The Street” a circulation spine inspired by the unique urban fabric of Kahramanmaraş. More than just a transitional space, it functions as an interior urban corridor that connects workshops, media studios, exhibition areas, and shared lounges. Reflecting the rhythm of the surrounding city, this spine serves as both a spatial connector and a cultural carrier. It embodies Henri Lefebvre’s idea that “urban space is a social product,” acting as a generator of interaction and a catalyst for collective experiences.
The project embraces deconstructivist design principles, taking cues from Bernard Tschumi’s Event-Cities. Rather than offering static spaces, it presents a framework for dynamic interactions. This is embodied in the red modular system a lightweight, reconfigurable structure that responds to varying user needs. It functions alternately as digital signage, a shading device, a reading nook, or a communal seating element.
Deployed throughout the site, this system plays a central role in transforming the architecture into an Urban Park a porous, interactive environment that blurs the boundaries between built form and public life. Acting like an open-air marketplace or contemporary çarşı, the space becomes a daily-use hub for the community. It supports informal gatherings, creative production, social exchange, and quiet retreat, adapting fluidly to the rhythms of city life. In this way, the project merges spatial flexibility with cultural continuity, aligning with Society 5.0’s vision of human-centered, tech-integrated urban living.
Ultimately, New Generation Kahvehane is not just a building, but a platform for future-making where local identity, technological innovation, and public participation converge within an architectural landscape shaped by experience and interaction.
Click to Watch Project Animation
