Works# Chugoku/Shikoku

The "Kukai Room" is a permanent displays room showcasing the life and work of Kobo Daishi Kukai. This time, while retaining the existing graphic content, concept design has been refreshed, and a map showing Kukai's journey has been added to make displays more accessible. In addition, new signs have been installed at the entrance to make the route through displays room easier to understand and to help visitors comprehend displays. Furthermore, in the central area of displays room, a projection of five words written by Kukai has been added, superimposed onto a statue of Kukai, creating an experience as if the historical figure Kukai were standing right there. The characters used in this projection were recreated using AI that has learned from Kukai's own handwriting, with the cooperation of the Faculty of Creative Engineering at Kagawa University. By integrating visual information and spatial design, displays environment has been renewed to achieve both academic excellence and immersion.

As part of a renovation project for Kanatsu Giken Kogyo, a general construction company in Shimane Prefecture, we created an unprecedented office space that harmonizes nature and technology.

This facility is an annex displays facility of the Hiroshima City Local History Museum, developed in conjunction with the relocation of the Hiroshima City Central Library to a commercial building directly connected to the station. It aims to foster a sense of local pride among citizens by providing a place to learn about Hiroshima's history and culture firsthand, while also serving as a hub for guiding visitors to the main library and a gateway for tourism. displays focus on the geographical characteristics of "rivers, sea, and mountains," which are deeply intertwined with Hiroshima's origins, showcasing the history of transportation, industry, daily life, and culture. In addition to videos comparing old and new photographs and floor-mounted illustrated maps highlighting Hiroshima's attractions, the area introducing industry includes an interactive game based on oyster farming, creating an enjoyable learning experience for both children and adults. Our company was responsible for the basic planning, basic working drawings, and construction.

We renovated an old house in Tomonoura, Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture, into "RiSA DINING&STAY," an auberge of the "Shiomachi Hotel." The first floor is a restaurant for guests, and the second floor has two guest rooms. The building is complex, with several old houses connected together, and we were able to complete the project by resolving various issues with local partner companies. Respecting the client's desire to cherish Tomonoura, a historic port town that has flourished since the Manyoshu era, we aimed to create a comfortable space where the past and present blend together by incorporating modern concept design into the old building.

The Hiroshima Motomachi Aquarium, which opened in Hiroshima Prefecture, has adopted displays concept of "A Museum of Water and Life," and expresses the strength and transience of life by displays the underwater world and the activities of living creatures, conveying a different message in each of its eight stages (scenes). Each stage is connected, reflecting the charm of living creatures that live in diverse environments and depicting the facility's theme, "The Stage of Life." "Welcome" fantastically depicts the beginning of life, and the next "Forest" conveys the changing seasons and the vitality of the forest. "White" shows a world that has lost its color and the brilliance of life, and "Marine Note" and "Coral" introduce the diverse ecosystems of the sea and the colors of coral reefs. "The Flowers, Birds, Wind, and Moon of the Sea" expresses the mystery and beauty of the underwater world, and "Zipangu" depicts the traditional beauty of Japan and the elegance of goldfish. In the final "Message," through a clock that marks the time of extinction and evolution, it appeals to the transience of life and responsibility for the future, providing emotion and resonance. To deliver a deep understanding of the concept and evoke emotion, we incorporated immersive experiences and interactive displays that stimulate the five senses.

Located in Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, the Kaikyokan Aquarium is a popular aquarium known for its diverse displays of pufferfish, a unique feature of Shimonoseki, and one of the largest penguin displays in Japan. It also boasts "lifestyle displays" that focus on the natural habits and behaviors of animals. This latest large-scale renovation, the first since the aquarium opened, involves updating and renovating aging equipment, as well as revamping displays. The new concept design, which prioritizes functionality, meets the expectations of visitors to the facility, which is widely loved in the Chugoku and Kyushu regions, as well as the local area.

The Hiwasa Sea Turtle Museum Caretta is a rare sea turtle museum located on Ohama Beach in Tokushima Prefecture, and is beloved as the oldest loggerhead turtle conservation site in the region. At the same time, it also serves as a base facility for the local Minami Town's plan to increase the return rate of sea turtles. This renovation has created a place where people can learn about the coexistence of humans and nature through sea turtles and nurture the next generation of leaders by providing a comfortable space for visitors and making it easy for sea turtles to live in from the perspective of animal welfare.

This is a renovation project for the hotel "The Mana Village" located at the tip of Cape Ashizuri in Kochi Prefecture. The project began in 2020 to transform the former Ashizuri Pacific Hotel into one of Asia's leading resort hotels, "The Mana Village." In this project, we added value to two new types of guest rooms, the common areas, and the infinity deck. The new guest rooms consist of seven Japanese-style rooms and a concept room designed by young hotel staff and our designers, with the aim of providing a "new way to enjoy the ocean like art" while also promoting the charm of Kochi and connecting Kochi with our guests. This is an ongoing project in which we will share the hotel's transformation with our guests over time, building up their expectations.

Chateraise Gateau Kingdom Setouchi, which opened in Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture, is a project that rebranded the former Greenpia Setouchi, owned by Kure City, into a resort hotel that combines confectionery business with a stay-type resort hotel. Based on concept design concept of "a unique resort that coexists with nature and allows you to feel the beauty of Setouchi," the entrance, lobby, guest rooms, restaurant, cafe, courtyard, and hot spring facilities were renovated, and it was reborn as a new resort hotel. Guest rooms with panoramic views of the many islands of the Seto Inland Sea, and a cafe where you can enjoy sweets exclusive to the facility, can be used by people of all ages for various occasions. Our company participated from the basic concept stage and comprehensively handled everything from spatial concept formulation to design, layout, signage and graphic concept design, interiors construction, and FF&E, utilizing our creativity.

Hiroshima Gate Park is a new public park that will become the face of Hiroshima, redeveloped through a park PFI (Private Finance Initiative) on the former site of the Hiroshima Municipal Baseball Stadium located in the heart of Hiroshima. Eight commercial facilities are scattered around a plaza of approximately 6,500 square meters, capable of hosting large-scale events, encouraging visitors to move around the park and creating a sense of unity among events and shops. In addition, the aim was to create a hub that fosters a new lifestyle of spending time outdoors, where various activities and interactions will be generated, centered around events. Our company participated from the stage of preparing the public tender proposal and was in charge of the overall concept, site use plan, building layout plan, merchandising plan, leasing, interior concept design, signage graphics, tenant design and construction, furniture and fixture manufacturing, branding, naming, logo creation, and communication strategy.

"Sky Patio" is a rooftop garden located on the sixth floor of "Pasela," a commercial facility in Motomachi Credo located in the center of Hiroshima. Since 1994, it has been used as a place of relaxation for citizens, overlooking the city of Hiroshima, centered around Hiroshima Castle. This project is positioned as the first step of the Motomachi Credo revitalization project to renovate the facility configuration of Motomachi Credo, including the site of the new Sogo Hiroshima store, which closed in August 2023, and the current Pasela, and to create a new "Pasela." The new "Sky Patio" aims to create an environment where people can enjoy themselves in a variety of ways, and to foster a sense of anticipation for the new Motomachi Credo, through the provision of an extraordinary experience with a newly installed large-screen monitor and a rooftop bar that takes advantage of the night view, as well as the development of a babbling brook and grassy hill that parents and children can enjoy.

This is a renovation project for The Mana Village, a hotel located at the tip of Cape Ashizuri in Kochi Prefecture. The project began in 2020 to transform the former Ashizuri Pacific Hotel into one of Asia's leading resort hotels, The Mana Village. This project involved renovating three new types of guest rooms and an open-air bath. The young hotel staff and designers created the new rooms with a playful concept that was not seen in The Mana Village before, with the desire to "create fun memories for guests." This is an ongoing project that will increase expectations by sharing the hotel's transformation with guests.

The Aoya Kamiteraji Ruins, a national historical site located in Aoya-cho, Tottori City, is also known as the "Underground Yayoi Museum" due to the diverse array of artifacts unearthed there, characteristic of a port settlement. This facility plays a part in the restoration of the "Yayoi Village" at the same historical site. The guidance displays room expresses the worldview of the Yayoi period and the ruins, using a semi-structured ship (trading ship) as a symbol, under the theme of "A Tour of Aoya Village." In addition, the important cultural property displays room was concept design with the concept design of a "Yayoi Museum" that brings out the "beauty" of the artifacts unearthed in Aoya, which include many Yayoi period items that can be described as beautifully designed crafts.

ogawa GRAND lodge is a directly managed store of "ogawa," a long-established outdoor brand founded in 1914 that offers reliable gear and outdoor lifestyle products. It is an outdoor store that provides everything from thorough lectures for beginners to introductions of the latest gear for veterans and repair services for discontinued older models. This is the first directly managed store in the Chugoku region. In the spring of 2023, it was located in "HIROSHIMA GATE PARK," a public park that was reborn on the site of the former Hiroshima Municipal Baseball Stadium. Our company, which was in charge of leasing for the project, was involved in everything from guiding the store to design, layout, and construction. In terms of concept design, we proposed an upgraded interiors compared to previous stores, resulting in a store that blends in with HIROSHIMA GATE PARK.

With the establishment of Benda Industries' new Head Office and technical research institute, we have created a new displays space, "BENDA INNOVATION TEC GALLERY." Our company was in charge of concept design and interiors displays construction. To powerfully communicate "Made in Japan's technological prowess to the world" and to increase the interest, satisfaction, and empathy of business partners and employees, we created a memorable space based on the corporate color, Benda Blue. We aimed for a space that will be a starting point for further leaps forward 100 years from now, where innovation spreads and intersects from the center of the gallery, connecting the world in a circle (ring).