Spitfire Roastery: A Coffee Factory Reimagined as Lifestyle Hub in Rural China

In Liyang, Jiangsu, the Spitfire Roastery by Nota Architects transforms a coffee roasting factory into a multifunctional lifestyle infrastructure, responding to a growing trend of young Chinese moving to rural areas and bringing urban lifestyles with them. The project, completed in 2026, covers 863 m² and is designed by principal architect Qian Shiyun, with a design team including Zhou Jiachen, Gao Xiang, Duan Yanran, Yao Xinyi, William Sivali Liongso, and Ling Olivia Li. The architecture reconfigures the factory to connect production, consumption, leisure, social interaction, and public activities, rather than treating coffee roasting as a mere industrial process. Key collaborators include Shanghai Zhongjian Architecture Design Institute Co., Ltd for construction drawings, iStructure for structural consulting, Yingzhe Lighting Consultancy for lighting, Shanghai ZONING Design consultancy Ltd. for facades, Zhenlong Construction Co., Ltd. as the contractor for Spitfire Coffee, and Shanghai Yangyu Construction Decoration Co., Ltd. for custom fixtures. Photographs are by Shan Liang and Shiyun Qian. The project is categorized under Cabañas & Lodges and Retail, and is located in Changzhou. The design aims to create places that continuously generate activities and give people reasons to return, addressing the need for lifestyle destinations in rural settings.