Works#Kansai

At the RITE Future Forest, a demonstration plant exhibited by the National Institute of Global Environmental Technology (RITE) at the 2025 Japan World 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 displays space of Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. at the "City of the Future" Pavilion of the 2025 Japan International Exposition (Osaka-Kansai Expo). displays concept is "Mobility Instinct Research Institute." It expresses the mobility society of 2050 as envisioned by the Kawasaki Heavy Industries Group through an interactive displays using full-scale mobility vehicles. Through visitors' experiences of "seeing," "touching," and "experiencing," it provides a space that inspires great hope and expectations for the future of mobility. By combining a spatial design that balances a sense of the future with immersion through large LEDs, and displays and experiences using full-scale mobility vehicles, the exhibition is structured to allow visitors to experience the future of mobility as something that concerns them personally.

EARTH MART, the signature pavilion for the 2025 World Exposition in Japan (Osaka-Kansai Expo), was produced by Kundo Koyama. Based on the theme of "Considering Life through Food," it shares the potential of the food culture cultivated by the Japanese people and the evolution of food through technology, creating a space for considering "new ways of eating" that will lead us into the future. The design, which showcases "life" in a supermarket setting typically filled with "food," allows visitors to experience and gain insights into the background of life. Discovering value in everyday scenes provides an opportunity to reflect on the choices we make in various daily situations. Furthermore, the space is constructed using living materials such as "vegetable flowers" and "recycled eggs made from eggshells." The content itself was developed in collaboration with various people involved in food (farmers, sushi chefs, biotechnology researchers), creating an "integrated worldview" that unfolds in the space, thereby conveying its message. By resetting various assumptions through these "fragments of life," visitors can become aware of what is truly important to life, develop gratitude and kindness, and experience a subtle happiness. This product embodies Producer Koyama's desire to leave you with a lasting impression that makes you want to cherish mealtimes just a little more than yesterday.

The "Osaka Healthcare Pavilion Nest for Reborn," a joint venture between Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City, the host cities of the Osaka-Kansai Expo, brings together industry, academia, government, and the private sector. As the lead company in displays joint venture, our company was responsible for everything from basic planning and schematic design to working drawings and construction. The basic concept was "displays that allows visitors to experience a life where future medicine and healthcare are integrated, and that will also serve as an experiment for future society, creating a legacy," which was expressed through the future of "healthcare," "cities," "food and culture," and "entertainment." In the main program, the "Reborn Experience Route," visitors can meet their future selves 25 years from now by measuring their health data in a "body measurement pod." Together with this future self, they can experience the future of healthcare and urban life envisioned by approximately 20 exhibiting companies, mainly from Osaka, and have the experience of being reborn as their future self. displays embodies our hope that it will serve as a catalyst for a "future society where life shines," showing that "people can be reborn" and "take a new step forward." [Features of the project] We were able to realize this by bringing together the aspirations of the general producer, advisors, exhibiting companies, and many other stakeholders, with the hope that it will serve as a catalyst for a "future society where life shines," showing that "people can be reborn" and "take a new step forward."

We renovated "Mitette," a new interaction area at the Kyoto Aquarium, located within Umekoji Park in Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto City, which attracts a wide range of visitors from children to adults. The new area offers a variety of functions, including displays about the aquarium, workshops, and a rest area. The space is designed to help visitors appreciate the Kyoto Aquarium even more by learning not only about the animals themselves, but also about the staff's passion for them and the activities of the staff and the aquarium.

As the host country of the 2025 Japan International Exposition (Osaka-Kansai Expo), which will be held under the theme of "concept design a Future Society Where Life Shines," Japan's pavilion, themed "Between Life and Life," allows visitors to feel the significance of "circulation" through a seamless connection between displays and architecture. The Japan Pavilion, which embodies the relay of life with its circular structure, has a unique presence as the host country's pavilion. In addition to a flow of movement that naturally draws visitors into the Japan Pavilion as they walk around its perimeter, its most distinctive feature is the countless "wooden planks" arranged in a circle. Through the gaps between them, visitors can catch a glimpse of the interior, and the continuity between inside and outside, displays and architecture, gives visitors an opportunity to become aware of the "in-between" space that is also the theme of the Japan Pavilion. Another feature of this pavilion is the concept of "Japan Pavilion that eats garbage." Garbage generated at the Expo site will be decomposed by the action of microorganisms and converted into energy and water. This "living pavilion" allows visitors to relive the process through an installation*, experiencing firsthand how the generated energy and water power the Japan Pavilion. As they tour the pavilion, which is composed of three zones, they can feel the significance of "circulation," a core aspect of Japanese aesthetics, and realize that they themselves are part of this long and grand narrative. In addition, by using "wooden panels" mainly made of CLT (cross-laminated timber) and steel for the structure, CLT is used in the simplest and most symbolic way possible. The CLT used in the Japan Pavilion is planned to be reused by companies and local governments throughout Japan after the Expo, and has been designed to be easily dismantled and repurposed. By understanding the value of "circulation," which underlies the Japan Pavilion's theme, "Between Life and Life," we aim to encourage visitors to re-examine the circulation that is so close to us, leading to an exploration of the future of society and hints for a sustainable future. Our company is responsible for displays concept design (schematic design, working drawings), construction, and operation of this Japan Pavilion. *A contemporary art form in which the entire displays space is experienced as a work of art. The audience walks around the space, enjoying the artwork through sight, sound, and other senses.

This pavilion at the Osaka-Kansai Expo expresses the rich stories of Qatar's people, land, and sea through the skillful use of realistic materials. The space is constructed with real sand that recreates the desert landscape with delicate gradations, deep-sea-like aluminum material that covers the floor, walls, and ceiling, and a giant curtain of intricate embroidery that symbolizes cultural richness. The design creates an immersive displays space where Qatari's traditional crafts and landscapes fantastically emerge from materials that directly appeal to the senses of visitors.

Umeda Green Place is a mixed-use commercial complex located at the gateway to the "Umeda 2nd Phase Area," themed around "greenery" and "a place for encounters and exchanges." Creating lush green spaces and lively, relaxing areas, the complex features 20 shops, primarily restaurants and cafes, designed to cater to the diverse needs of people passing through the area around JR Osaka Station, from office workers to those visiting the park or shopping. Our company was responsible for the planning, design, and construction of the 2nd-floor food court and the 2nd and 3rd-floor restrooms, as well as overall furniture and fixture manufacturing.

We were responsible for design, layout, signage and graphic concept design, interior administration, furniture and fixture manufacturing, environmental features, and construction of the "Lounge & Dining" restaurant within the venue of the 2025 Japan International Exposition (Osaka-Kansai Expo). This facility is concept design to be a welcoming space for guests from both Japan and abroad, combining high-quality spatial design with comfort. Our aim was to create a space that would create a special experience that would remain in the memories of people gathering from all over the world.

The new Lawson store, which opened within the 2025 Japan International Exposition site, is located in front of the East Gate entrance, directly connected to Yumeshima Station (Osaka Metro Chuo Line), the closest station to the venue. Through noren (traditional Japanese curtain) art representing the 47 prefectures of Japan and wall art inspired by Lawson's vision for the future, "Happy Lawson Town," the store expresses the symbiotic society fostered by the connections between Lawson stores across Japan and each region. Furthermore, with future use after the Expo in mind, sustainable building materials such as wood and scaffolding pipes have been incorporated extensively. In addition, concept design incorporates elements of Lawson's roots since its opening in 1975, such as the logo of the first store and milk cans, expressing its uniqueness and communicating the essential value of being a "community hot station" that lives together with the community from the past to the future.

In preparation for the 2025 Osaka-Kansai World Expo, renovation work has been underway at Kansai International Airport Terminal 1 since 2021. As the gateway to Kansai, this project aims to "expand international flight capacity," "enhance the airside area," and "improve the passenger experience." Previously, the airport had separate lounges for each airline, but these are being consolidated into one, providing a larger space through space efficiency. This project is the third phase of a large-scale renovation, and is an international business lounge with a total area of 2,970 m² and 658 seats, themed around "ancient capitals and cities." The interior is divided into two areas with different concepts: "North Side" and "South Side." schematic design was handled by Azusa Sekkei, and our company was in charge of interiors (FF&E), working drawings and construction of equipment, and art supervision.

We planned the Mie Prefecture booth to be exhibited within the Kansai Pavilion at the 2025 Japan International Exposition (Osaka-Kansai Expo). The Mie Prefecture booth is themed "The Origin of the Japanese Spirit" and is designed as a space where visitors can experience the charm of "Beautiful Mie," including its rich nature, history, diverse culture, and food. It is an interactive booth that will allow visitors to experience Mie with all five senses through unique displays and content that can only be found at the Expo.

The Malaysian Pavilion, exhibited at the 2025 Japan International Exposition (Osaka-Kansai Expo), was themed "INTERWOVEN - Weaving a Harmonious Future," and was a space that comprehensively expressed the tradition, diversity, and progressive spirit inherent in Malaysia, a multi-ethnic nation. At the center of the pavilion was the symbolic "Tree of Harmony," standing approximately 10 meters tall. Its leaves were hand-woven by artisans from all over Malaysia using sustainable natural materials, and its trunk was composed of an organic structure made of fast-growing bamboo woven in a spiral. This sculptural language was also extended to displays floor, lighting, and graphics, symbolizing a network that connects the entire pavilion as if weaving together. As a pavilion where diversity intersects to weave one grand story, it became a place that embodied hope for a harmonious future.

The prestigious Rihga Royal Hotel Osaka, which boasts a 90-year history and has been loved by many guests including state guests and members of the Imperial Family as "Osaka's guesthouse," has grand reopened as "Rihga Royal Hotel Osaka Vignette Collection" in anticipation of the opening of the Osaka-Kansai Expo in April 2025. This is due to the introduction of "Vignette Collection," one of the brands of IHG Hotels & Resorts. Inheriting the hotel's history and identity, and blending it with the charm of the beautiful scenery surrounding it, unique to the city of water, it has been reborn as a space that will be loved for generations. For this renovation, our company handled concept design of the entrance, reception, public areas, guest rooms, banquet halls, and gym, as well as working drawings and construction of the guest room area, art, and FF&E.

Focusing on the lives and dreams of the people who played an active role in Himeji Castle, we proposed that visitors experience the value of the structures and objects by displays staging appropriate to the location, such as the armory of the main keep, the Watari Yagura (tower of the castle), and the make-up tower, and be moved by them. Specifically, in order to convey the charm of these structures, we helped create scenes of daily life and dreams along with stories of the people who played an active role at Himeji Castle, focusing on displays scenes and experiences displays that recreate the conditions of those days.