Steel the show: This cafe spins a stunning web-like canopy

by tanya_martins | April 1, 2025 3:29 pm

Modern building with a white roof, surrounded by a tensile net canopy. Adjacent to a landscaped garden and parking lot in an urban setting.[1]
Steel and mesh have formed a web-like canopy around the Cs Somme Cafe in Fukuoka, Japan. Photos courtesy Kengo Kuma and Associates

Steel and mesh have formed a web-like canopy around the Cs Somme Cafe in Fukuoka, Japan. Designed by architecture studio Kengo Kuma and Associates, the structure is built from a framework of interlocking steel parts, creating an earthquake-resistant structure for the single-story cafe.

The cafe is in an inner rectangular volume, connected to a network of steel beams supporting the mesh canopy, a modern version of a flying buttress.

Modern building with curved, white mesh canopy roof, surrounded by a small garden and parking lot. Urban setting with neighboring buildings.[2]
The cafe is in an inner rectangular volume.

The interlocking of the arched steel frame supporting the mesh and the grid-like steel frame supporting the inner rectangular boxes ensures sufficient earthquake resistance in spite of the thin members.

The web-like canopy helps to reduce the cafe’s energy demand by limiting solar gain. However, where it meets the ground, a series of arches provide outward views for visitors.

White walls, concrete flooring, and steel elements serve as a backdrop, set off by wooden seating alongside the bar.

Endnotes:
  1. [Image]: https://www.constructionspecifier.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/TM_CSSommeCafe-1-scaled.jpg
  2. [Image]: https://www.constructionspecifier.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/TM_CSSommeCafe-2-scaled.jpg

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