Works#Kansai

Nankai Electric Railway Co., Ltd. has reconstructed the common meeting room area of Parks Tower, an office building adjacent to Namba Parks in Osaka, as the "PARKS PATIO" lounge for employees. The space is designed as a "special backyard for workers" in response to the lush greenery of Parks Garden, the symbol of Namba Parks. As a place that workers use on a daily basis, we have created an environment that accommodates not only meetings and work, but also various ways of spending time, such as taking a break or changing one's mind. Through a worker-participatory production process, artwork using plants in the garden, and sound effects that incorporate the environmental sounds of the rail line, we aim to enhance the overall value of the office building and the worker experience, while incorporating a space for physical and mental conditioning within the convenience of the city. We were in charge of the project from planning design, layout and production construction.

This café features an AI-powered oven, "Baumkuchen AI Craftsman 'THEO'," which bakes and serves Baumkuchen in real time in a show kitchen. Inspired by the theme of "life" from the 2025 Japan International Exposition (Osaka-Kansai Expo), the café uses "eggs" as its motif. The interior is predominantly white, with rounded chairs and tables, creating a bright space that softly reflects the light streaming in from the windows. Furthermore, the floor, walls, ceiling, and tables are made from recycled eggshells used in Baumkuchen production, expressing a vision of a future confectionery shop that avoids waste and incorporates materials into its architecture. *Opening period: April 13th (Sun) - October 13th (Mon), 2025

Producer Hiroaki Miyata's signature pavilion for the 2025 Japan International Exposition (Osaka-Kansai Expo), "Better Co-Being," is a pavilion without a roof or walls, standing as if blending into the adjacent "Forest of Tranquility." With the theme of "Resonating Lives," visitors are led through a resonant experience consisting of three sequences, starting from the unique connections they make when they gather on that day and at that time. In Sequence 1, visitors reflect on themselves and others, and rediscover "what connects us." By confronting diverse motifs, they become aware of the value of others and their own desires, gaining clues to resonance toward the future. In Sequence 2, they experience a perspective that resonates with nature, culture, and the lives nurtured there. Through the universal motif of "voice," they listen to global values and realize how the customs of distant regions connect to their own lives. In Sequence 3, visitors connect with one another and experience envisioning a better future while engaging with the world. By feeling connected to people and nature and creating a rainbow together, they acknowledge their differences while looking up at the same sky and gain a sense of moving towards the future. In the final epilogue, a unique video is screened that overlays the actions and environmental data experienced by visitors at that moment, providing clues to their connection with the world and their journey towards the future together. In this pavilion, our company was responsible for the production and installation of the art installation that forms the core of the resonant experience, as well as the installation displays work of communication equipment related to "echorb" (sponsored by Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.), a special device that guides visitors through the experience.

The Fukushima Reconstruction displays, sponsored by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, was held for five days from May 20th to 24th at the EXPO Messe "WASSE" at the Osaka-Kansai Expo site. The event introduced the activities of people in the Hamadori region of Fukushima Prefecture and other areas who have continued to preserve the local culture and charm for the future despite facing the complex disasters of earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster, as well as the new initiatives of various businesses developing cutting-edge robots, rockets, and other products.

For the "Wakayama Zone" of the Kansai Pavilion at the 2025 World Exposition in Japan (Osaka-Kansai Expo), we collaborated with Hideki Yoshimoto, the general director of the Wakayama Zone, to express "high-quality Wakayama." The video device "Totem," reminiscent of the giant trees of the Kii Mountains, is finished with Kishu lacquer, and the counter tables and chairs that provide dining experiences are also made of Kishu wood. Wakayama's traditional crafts and materials are utilized in the various elements that make up the space, condensing the charm of Wakayama, which is a source of pride for the world, into the space.

The "Future City" Pavilion at the 2025 World Exposition, Japan (Osaka-Kansai Expo) is a joint exhibit project by the Expo Association and 12 supporting organizations. The Kubota Germination Lab is a research institute that addresses people's aspirations and global issues, and considers future food and agriculture that is friendly to both people and the earth. Life, food, and agriculture are connected from the past to the present and into the future, and we believe that we too play a role in these connections. This was a forum for participants to realize and consider the importance of each individual considering the entire food system, from production to consumption, and the importance of communicating the technology that supports the food system.

The Sumitomo Pavilion at the 2025 World Exposition, Osaka, Japan (Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai) is a pavilion where visitors can experience a magnificent "Story of Life" set in the "Unknown Forest." Lanterns in hand, visitors of all ages can wander freely through the forest, experiencing the interconnectedness of life that is invisible in everyday life. Light and mist change in response to visitors' movements, revealing the "Story of Life" in nature, including trees conversing underground, the centuries-old life cycle of trees, and the animals and fungi that lurk in the forest. A theater deep in the forest depicts the journey and fragments of memory of Mother Tree, who has watched over the forest from its birth to its final moments. The wind and mist drifting through the space stir visitors' senses, culminating in a powerful performance that combines layered images, music, and people. After the forest experience, visitors can tour the "Seeds of the Future" area, which displays over 700 cutting-edge technologies and initiatives from the Sumitomo Group and connects to a platform that utilizes generative AI, allowing anyone to create and share ideas for the future. The Sumitomo Pavilion was built using approximately 1,000 cedar and cypress trees planted in 1970, the year of the Osaka Expo. In addition to their experience in "Unknown Forest," visitors can also participate in a "tree-planting experience" where they can come into contact with seedlings and soil, and the newly grown seedlings will be returned to their original forest. The "story of life" will continue even after the Expo and be passed on to the next generation.

The Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Museum Funeshiru, located at Osaka Nanko ATC, where the Sunflower ferry connecting Osaka and Kyushu is docked, is the first museum to be developed by this leading shipping company, with a history spanning over 140 years, and a desire to allow many people to experience the world of ships that support people's daily lives. Based on the concept of a museum where visitors can see, touch, and play with the ships that support our lives, the museum aims to provide a place where people of all ages can enjoy learning about how shipping supports people's daily lives and how ships are constantly evolving. The museum's space and experiences are designed to be child-friendly and exciting, with a large panoramic theater that allows visitors to experience the scale of ships and the ocean, and interactive displays that allow visitors to learn about jobs related to ships and shipping. Inspired by the image of a port where food transported across the sea is gathered, the museum also features a cafe serving original curry and a shop selling original goods unique to a museum dedicated to ships and shipping.

Osaka University of Arts' Animal Diorama Museum, "Geidai Zoo," is the world's first animal diorama museum at a university facility. Students from all departments can use the museum as a teaching material for artistic expression, drawing animals and creating animal characters. Under the direction of Kenji Wakao, professor and head of the liberal arts program at Osaka University of Arts and general producer, the museum has created three diorama areas—"African Grassland," "African Forest," and "Rocky Grassland"—to displays each animal in its natural habitat using stuffed specimens donated by the Shiga Safari Museum. Areas have also been set up to displays stuffed heads, fighting wapiti, and moose by species and region. Our company was responsible for the entire project, from design to construction, including taxidermy research and restoration, and filing applications with the Ministry of the Environment.

Juno Park, which opened in Kizugawa City, Kyoto Prefecture, is a project to renovate Sekisui House's experiential research facility, Nattoku Kobo, into a housing education edutainment facility to cultivate children's sensibilities. The facility consists of four floors, with the first floor being a cafe and library that local residents can use casually, and the second through fourth floors being a paid experience area. Based on Sekisui House's concept of "sensitivities cultivated through daily life," we planned and developed the "Experience Activities," a 45-minute game-style group workshop linked to six themes related to "living," as well as the "Experience Gallery," displays where visitors can enjoy hands-on interaction and thinking. We also handled the operational planning, including the creation of staff scripts and facility operation manuals, and the design and construction of the facility's interiors and outdoor signage.

Cartier, a brand that has always supported women, will be exhibiting at the Women's Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, calling for a fair and sustainable future through the experiences and perspectives of women, with the concept of "Towards a future where we live together and shine together." With a spatial concept design that creates an artistic and overwhelming worldview and an immersive displays experience using an audio guide, the pavilion will spotlight the contributions of women in society and invite visitors on a journey that unravels their "power of change."

Located within the Osaka Healthcare Pavilion at the 2025 World Exposition, Osaka, Kansai, Japan (Osaka-Kansai Expo), this space offers a close-up look at actual myocardial sheets made from iPS cells. A symbolic sculpture has been installed with the motif of a "tree" growing from the seed of iPS cells into a mighty tree, representing the progress of research and development around the world since the discovery of iPS cells and the development of science and technology. Within the "tree" is a giant heart model that moves in sync with the beating of the myocardial sheet on displays, and the heartbeat reverberating loudly in the atrium, along with video effects, express a future where people can live healthy lives thanks to advances in regenerative medicine.

The "Cities of the Future" Pavilion at the 2025 World Exposition, Japan (Osaka-Kansai Expo) is a joint exhibit project by the Expo Association and 12 other sponsors. Based on the concept of "WIND VISION," the MOL displays Place features a large-scale model of the hydrogen production ship "Windhunter," which MOL is developing, and a large screen. An interactive, experiential displays was created to allow visitors to experience the "wind," an inexhaustible natural energy source captured by the Windhunter, and the "wind" created by the ship.

At the demonstration plant "RITE Future Forest" exhibited by the National Institute of Global Environmental Technology (RITE) at the 2025 Japan International Exposition (Osaka-Kansai Expo), we provided comprehensive production from planning, concept design, architecture, displays design and supervision to operational support. The facility is engaged in demonstration experiments of future technologies that are expected in the future by combining both DAC (Direct Air Capture)*1, which directly captures carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and CCS (Carbon dioxide Capture and Storage)*2, which stores carbon dioxide directly from the ground. This project aims to create a new forest in the future, by capturing carbon dioxide emitted by humans with human power. In the Guidance Building, we also worked on architecture as a demonstration experiment for new technologies, and realized the world's first future wooden construction technology, the CLT*3-fold structure hanging method, based on the concept of the forest of the future. The hang-up method is a conceptual method in which triangular CLT panels that are tightly connected to each other by hinge hardware are laid on a horizontal surface, and a specific part is lifted by a crane to deform it like origami under its own weight to form a folding plate structure. This time, by using this construction method, it was also an architectural demonstration project to create a large space with a structure with an expressive expression and to promote the spread of CLT structures that have both concept design, functionality, and construction. As a result, an architectural space that exudes a sacred atmosphere that exudes a sense of tightness has emerged, and the CLT folding structure itself made of domestic cedar has become a unique building that realizes an acoustic environment like a concert hall that resonates with displays videos and performances. After the exhibition, there are plans to relocate to the RITE headquarters in Kizugawa City, Kyoto Prefecture in order to use it as a sustainable building. Through exhibiting at the Expo and subsequent utilization, we addressed various social issues such as reducing carbon dioxide emissions, minimizing waste, and promoting the spread of CLT structures. *1 Technology to reduce CO₂ concentration in the atmosphere by removing CO₂ from the atmosphere *2 Technology to collect emitted CO₂ and store it in the ground *3 Wood-based materials made by layering and bonding the ground sheets so that the fiber directions are orthogonal after arranging them.

This is Kawasaki Heavy Industries' displays space at the "City of the Future" pavilion at the 2025 World Exposition, Japan (Osaka-Kansai Expo). displays concept is "Mobility Instinct Laboratory." The Kawasaki Heavy Industries Group's vision of a mobility society in 2050 is expressed through an experiential displays using a full-scale mobility vehicle. Through visitors' experiences of "seeing," "touching," and "experiencing," the space provides a sense of great hope and expectation for the future of mobility. By combining a spatial presentation that combines a futuristic feel with an immersive feeling using large LEDs with displays and experience using a full-scale mobility vehicle, the space allows visitors to experience the future of mobility as if it were their own.