Works#2022

Bridgestone has opened an innovation hub, "Bridgestone Innovation Park," in Kodaira City, Tokyo. The central innovation center, "B-Innovation," is a facility designed to further promote interaction between people inside and outside the company, connect empathy for Bridgestone to co-creation, and accelerate innovation. Our company was in charge of the planning, design, environmental design, and construction of the "Bridgestone Open Innovation Hub," which serves as the entrance to "B-concept design" and is a place where people can see, touch, and expand their ideas by actually seeing and touching Bridgestone's core technologies and products. In addition, we have worked closely with Bridgestone to implement operational and spatial design based on behavioral science to guide users towards their desired mindset.

This is an open innovation hub established in September 2022 in Marunouchi, Tokyo, by Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company, with the aim of creating new value through collaboration and cooperation with external parties. It is used as a place for collaboration and cooperation with private companies such as startups and large corporations, as well as local governments, administrative bodies, universities, and research institutions. In terms of the space, interiors concept design expresses "interaction and expansion" in various places so that the keyword of the hub, "collaboration and cooperation," can always be felt. Furthermore, in order to flexibly respond to diverse working styles with a sense of speed, such as agile development, the furniture and fixtures are movable, but comfortable sofas and other items are placed in the space to deliberately blur the boundary between work and leisure, and the overall coordination is designed to generate communication in various situations and help to help create new ideas.

Building 15 at Sophia University's Yotsuya Campus opened in the fall of 2022 as a hub for adult education and community exchange, with the keyword "Transforming the city into a forest," aiming to contribute to achieving the SDGs and realizing a decarbonized society, as well as becoming a sustainable landmark for the region. Designed and construction by Sumitomo Forestry, this three-story fire-resistant wooden building utilizes "Kigurumi FR®," an original pure wood fire-resistant laminated timber made from Tama-grown cedar, for its main structural components. The facade, covered with a cross-shaped wooden lattice, is concept design that expresses the founding principles of Sophia University: "diversity," "interaction with others," "truth," and "tradition." The first floor will house a café open to the public, and as part of community contribution activities, space will be provided to nearby neighborhood associations for use as a disaster prevention warehouse. The second and third floors are used as classrooms for the "Professional Studies" course for working adults. Our company was responsible for design, layout, construction of the third floor, which is used as a classroom for the adult education course. Aiming to create a space that fosters wisdom through gathering, learning, and conversation, we also connected the story from the architecture to the materials that make up the space, and concept design using Nishikawa timber (cedar and cypress) from Hannō, which, along with Tama timber, has been used to build the city of Edo.

The predecessor of the current building was the "Bicycle Museum Cycle Center," which opened in April 1992 in Daisen Park, also in Sakai City. It was then relocated and renamed in March 2022, undergoing a major transformation. The museum's concept is "Anyone who comes here will want to ride a bicycle," and it utilizes the entire displays space to convey the appeal of bicycles from diverse perspectives, aiming to help visitors discover the "true value of bicycles" and create a "desire to ride a bicycle." In particular, a focus was placed on creating a space that would serve as an opportunity to change people's perceptions by rediscovering the value of "bicycles," a very familiar presence.

BLUE NOTE PLACE is a new type of restaurant that harmonizes with the Ebisu neighborhood, a place where people with diverse values and lifestyles gather, by fusing food, music, and culture. It proposes a style of casually enjoying high-quality live music and DJ sets along with meals. The interior luxuriously utilizes a two-story atrium space and is equipped with spaces to accommodate various occasions, including a dining area, bar, lounge, private rooms, and a terrace. While primarily operating as a dining bar, it offers a seamless integration of food and music, allowing customers to enjoy live music and DJ sets more casually with a table charge. Our company was in charge of design, layout.

This project involved the development of Motona Beach in Kyonan-machi, Awa-gun, Chiba Prefecture, and a demonstration event, utilizing Chiba Prefecture's "Project to Promote High Value-Added Tourism Content." The new use of the beach after the summer high season was named "Seaside Time," and the project was planned and implemented from September to November 2022. The special event held on November 12th and 13th offered new seaside experiences, including the first and largest participatory sky lantern and candlelit night in the Uchibo region, upcycled art using local waste materials such as driftwood, and gourmet food trucks showcasing the charms of Uchibo, attracting many visitors. Our company spearheaded the entire process, from administrative work for the application to Chiba Prefecture, planning, promoting the event's demonstration experiment (planning, concept design, setup, operation, and promotion), effectiveness verification, and reporting.

This is a renewal project for the Yokoyama Visitor Center in Ise-Shima National Park, Ministry of the Environment. As a place to showcase the greatest charm of Ise-Shima National Park, "the connection between people and nature," displays are structured around three themes that symbolize the lives of people who coexist with nature in Ise-Shima (Ama diver culture, pearl farming, and the forests of the shrine). At the heart of the renewal is the installation of an immersive theater, where four screens—three walls and the floor—present "the distinctive landscapes, rich nature, and lives of people in Ise-Shima" in immersive, high-definition video. Interactive methods have been introduced, such as allowing children to learn while having fun, by touching icons displayed on the screen to see visuals and explanations of living creatures.

This project involved concept design, planning, and construction supervision of the second Saudi Arabian location for "%ARABICA," a coffee shop brand originating in Kyoto. The client requested the renovation of a warehouse of approximately 900 square meters and the installation of a custom-made, gigantic roasting machine. Therefore, we planned a theater-like store that would showcase the massive roastery while making the most of the vast space. A platform visible from every seat was created at the back of the store, and the star of the show, the roasting machine, was placed proudly in the center. The bean cellar, a symbol of "%ARABICA," surrounds it, enhancing the main attraction. This store also features "%ARABICA's" talented baristas, who act as an orchestra and are also main characters. A U-shaped kitchen counter is located in the center of the store, allowing the baristas' brilliant performances and pleasant sounds to resonate throughout the store. To allow customers to enjoy the live atmosphere of these two main characters from anywhere in the seating area, a large, column-free atrium was created, and seating was arranged around it. The main seating area consists of box seats separated by sheer curtains. These seats, designed with consideration for the personal space between men and women in Saudi Arabia, are arranged in two layers on either side of the open atrium. In addition, there are bench seats around the kitchen counter where customers can watch the baristas at work, and counter seats offering a panoramic view of the entire store, providing a variety of seating options to suit different customer preferences. Pleasant light streams in from the atrium ceiling through perforated metal. These elements create a bright and open space where customers can enjoy delicious coffee and a theater-inspired concept design and presentation that engages all five senses.

TODAY’S SPECIAL Ebisu is a “food and lifestyle store” that is close to the daily lives of people who work, live, and gather in Ebisu. Our spacious store has the widest selection of plants in Tokyo, so you can grow them, live with them, and enjoy them. In addition to selling fresh flowers, we offer a wide range of daily necessities, such as bulk food ingredients and care products, that will give you the opportunity to start something new. We provided support for the opening of Ebisu Garden Place, from proposing a store opening to negotiating with the facility.

This concept design project involved proposing an optional plan for private units that was a first for Mitsubishi Jisho Residence, encompassing everything from lifestyle and layout plans to materials and custom-made furniture as a single package. Given the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led people worldwide to re-evaluate the comfort of their living spaces, we proposed a "new standard" lifestyle for the post-COVID era, focusing on two key aspects of a condominium living space: "the ability to spend healthy and fulfilling time at home" and "the ability to balance daily life and work." The model room chosen was the 70S1 type, considered the most popular family-oriented unit among the 12 types available on each floor. In this type, we aimed to create a living space that could be customized to suit individual lifestyles, incorporating a "multifunctional area" in the living and dining area. By dividing the large living and dining area with storage shelves, family members can be in the same space while still being able to engage in different activities and feel each other's presence. The model room's styling was based on the concept of "Japandi," representing a unique proposal from our company, FOO, that differed from previous model room designs.

L'Oréal Japan, the Japanese subsidiary of the world's largest cosmetics company, L'Oréal Group, has undertaken its first major renovation since relocating Head Office to Shinjuku Park Tower in 2006. Named "Beauty Valley" under the concept of "EN" (縁), the renovated office embodies the desire to create a place where beauty is born, connecting people with Japan, customers, business partners, and employees. concept design incorporates the four seasons (spring, summer, autumn, and winter) as themes for each area, and features furniture and decorations showcasing Japanese craftsmanship, incorporating Japanese beauty throughout. Furthermore, approximately 4,400 units of L'Oréal's products—around 60 different types, including eyeshadow, foundation, and lipstick—were upcycled before disposal, utilizing them in paints, lampshades, and tiles. While pursuing sustainable beauty, the office fully expresses L'Oréal's aesthetic by installing product display fixtures similar to those found in retail stores. Moreover, the office is designed in accordance with LEED standards, an international certification for sustainable buildings, ensuring energy efficiency and waste management, paying meticulous attention to details such as light, sound, and materials. Our company participated in this project as the overall construction company for interiors.

TBS has adopted the area concept of "Shake the World. AKASAKA," aiming for the "Akasaka 2-chome and 6-chome District Redevelopment Plan" and the operation and completion of existing areas (TBS Broadcasting Center, Akasaka Sacas, TBS Akasaka BLITZ Studio, TBS Akasaka ACT Theater, Akasaka Biz Tower) by 2028. As the third phase of this plan, "Akasaka BLITZ," which has previously served as a live performance space and delivered various content, has been renovated into "BLITZ Studio," a new facility dedicated to television program production. The first floor features displays space collaborating with popular programs, and the third floor has a viewing space for the program studios. For this project, we planned, designed, and produced a monument to attract facilities that will contribute to the revival of Akasaka's vibrancy lost during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a gallery that allows viewers to experience the history of the station from its opening to the present, in the foyer in front of the "BLITZ Studio" and the stairwell leading to the third-floor concept design. The monument embodies the long-standing connection between TBS and its viewers, while also proposing a circular economy from an SDG perspective by creatively reusing 1.4 tons of "discarded viewing and broadcasting equipment and materials." The adjoining stairwell serves as a pathway leading from a gallery tracing the evolution of TBS's viewing media over 70 years to the studio viewing area, creating a space where visitors can experience TBS's history from its founding to the present day in a seamless manner.

This is the Machida branch of PAPABUBBLE, an art candy shop originating in Barcelona, Spain. Taking advantage of its distinctive, long, narrow location next to an escalator within a commercial facility, we aimed to create a symbolic concept design that would serve as a hub for the PAPABUBBLE brand in the Machida area. The original location had low visibility from the commercial facility's entrance, and the changing perspectives from the escalator and the multiple access routes meant there was no single dominant viewpoint, making it difficult to attract customers. Therefore, we planned to leverage the location's ability to be viewed from all angles—up, down, left, and right—through the escalator and multiple access routes, transforming it into a strength for attracting customers. Specifically, we boldly arranged approximately 7m x 90 aluminum rods, resembling PAPABUBBLE's iconic candy bars, within the space. By painting each side a different color, we created a visual effect where the color changes depending on the viewing angle. This visual effect draws customers into the store, creating a floor plan designed to enhance their shopping experience. The gradual color changes are reminiscent of the magical performances that create PAPABUBBLE candies and the wide variety of their flavors.

This is the Saitama Shintoshin branch of PAPABUBBLE, an art candy shop that started in an alley in Barcelona and has spread to over 30 countries worldwide. It is an experiential store where candy artisans and customers can enjoy candy together through candy-making performances that take place inside the store. At the Saitama Shintoshin store, in order to allow customers to enjoy candy making with a greater sense of realism, we aimed for a seamless store that removes as much of the boundary between the kitchen space where the performance takes place and the customers as possible. The interior concept design is based on the concept of making customers feel as if they are in the kitchen, and the main material is stainless steel, the same material as the kitchen. Kitchen equipment and materials are scattered throughout the store. Furthermore, in the store's stock space, factory-grade vinyl curtains are used to deliberately show the candy ingredients, maximizing the sense of realism as art candy is created right before your eyes. As a next-generation candy shop that is conscious of experiential consumption and SDGs, we are also launching projects that allow customers to participate in the manufacturing process and a new service that transforms candy scraps that were previously discarded into hard-to-find premium products.

The HU Group's mission is "to create new value in healthcare." The "HU Bioness Complex" is the core facility of its healthcare business, symbolizing this mission. This is a place where the future of all life is created through the fusion of "Bio," the accumulation of life data, and "Business," the creativity that brings innovation to the industry. To realize the facility's concept of "connecting, showcasing, and nurturing," our company was comprehensively responsible for "communication concept design," encompassing everything from concept design the working environment for employees, planning and producing spaces and content that introduce the value offered by the facility to guests, to branding including facility naming, logo, and signage, as well as promotion and operation such as novelty items, leaflets, and opening events.