Works#2024

Opened in April 2024, ESPRIT C. KEI GINZA is a restaurant created by Chef Kei Kobayashi of the Parisian French restaurant "Restaurant KEI" and Toraya, a Japanese confectionery shop founded in the late Muromachi period. In Tokyo's Ginza district, where tradition and modernity coexist and diverse food cultures can be enjoyed, the aim was to create a restaurant that transcends the boundaries of French cuisine, pursuing innovation in gastronomy with free thinking and without any constraints. Not only the chefs, but everyone who works here learns and researches ingredients, sharing the essence of gastronomy with customers who visit, and hoping that not only the food, but the entire experience here will satisfy the hearts of the customers. ESPRIT C. KEI GINZA is, in a sense, a "gastronomic research institute" that embodies Chef Kei Kobayashi's vision. The restaurant consists of a main dining area with lively counter seating centered around an open kitchen, the heart of culinary creation, and tables covered in wood concept design, as well as a private room with a private kitchen designed to resemble a research institute. France is said to have a culture of stone, while Japan has a culture of wood. This restaurant blends the cultures of both countries, creating a new space where French and Japanese cultures meet in harmony with stone and wood. The ceiling concept design, which spans the entire floor, expresses tradition and innovation through a dynamic composition that changes from a traditional checkered pattern to an innovative cave-like installation.

Kagaya is a renowned Japanese inn with its main branch located in Wakura Onsen, Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture. In January 2024, Kagaya suffered extensive damage from an earthquake that struck off the coast of the Noto Peninsula. However, a pine tree stood tall at the entrance of the inn, undeterred by the disaster, and its majestic presence deeply moved people. Therefore, in creating this new store, we adopted the "pine tree," which is revered as an object of prayer in the Noto region, as concept design concept. On the counter ceiling in the center of the store, a design made of interwoven pine needles symbolically represents the pine tree reaching towards the heavens. The facade features concept design that represents pine needles reaching towards the Noto sky, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere for visitors. Furthermore, the silver-threaded obi, which has been passed down through generations of female innkeepers, is displayed on a shelf behind the counter, and handcrafted items and works of art that have been passed down through generations at the inn are scattered throughout, carrying on the beauty and craftsmanship of Noto. We have created the store together with Kagaya, drawing parallels between their tradition, spirit of hospitality, and desire for a comeback, and the vitality and strength of the pine trees of Noto.

This project aims to revive the salon, a welcoming space within Kinokuniya Bookstore, on the top floor of their flagship Shinjuku main store building. When the building was constructed in 1964, founder Shoichi Tanabe created a salon that served as a social gathering place for literary figures. Over time, that space was lost, but in order to bring it back to life in the modern era, following the Shinjuku main store renovation that took place from 2021 to 2023, our company was in charge of design, layout, production, and construction for this new project.

This project involved concept design, interiors renovation, and environmental features of the children's corner at the Nakano City Egota Library, located in a quiet residential area and a gathering place for children from the neighborhood. On the first floor, we replaced the aging interiors materials and created bookshelves unique to a children's corner, capable of accommodating large books and picture books. We also created a magazine area for parents to enjoy, creating a space where families can spend time together. In this space, where the library's original characters "Shishimaru" and "Egotan," based on the "Egota Lion Dance," a Tokyo Metropolitan Government-designated intangible folk cultural property, greet visitors, we aimed to give children the impression that the library is a fun place. On the second floor, we installed a new counter and chairs. By using acrylic material for part of the counter, it has become a space where one can quietly read while feeling the warmth of the sunlight.

We exhibited "Being: The Existence of Furniture" at "DESIGNART TOKYO 2024," Japan's largest concept design and art festival (theme: "Reframing - The Beginning of Transformation -"). "Being: The Existence of Furniture" is a project that reconsiders the relationship between people and objects. In our projects concept design spaces, we create many objects every day, but behind the scenes, we feel a great challenge in that these objects are discarded or left unused even though they are still perfectly usable. When we consider situations where an object is used carefully for a long time, a relationship is often formed in which an attachment to the object sprouts. At such times, we realize that we have gone from a feeling of "owning and using" the object to a feeling of caring for it and "being together" with it. Therefore, we thought that noticing this change in feeling might be one way to solve the problem. The furniture presented in the project is not particularly sturdy or functionally superior. Rather, it has a certain instability and capriciousness, and possesses a nature that makes you want to care for it. If furniture transforms from something that "exists" to something that "is there," how will we interact with it? Through a series of experimental concept design in this project, we pose a question to society about the transformation of value between people and objects. Our company's vision is to "unlock all possibilities of space starting from the 'creativity' of each individual," and we are committed to creating spaces that enrich people's lives. As part of this, we challenge the social issues we face from a creative perspective and continue to exhibit at concept design events both domestically and internationally to create a cycle of communication, exchange, and innovation through output.

This is a project for the all-day dining restaurant "MONDO Sagami Ohno" that will open on the 7th floor of Odakyu Hotel Century Sagami Ohno. The restaurant will have a spacious space of over 666 square meters and a huge wood-fired oven, which will be the symbol of the restaurant "MONDO". Based on the theme of "from the mountain to the table", the restaurant will bring out the original flavor of the ingredients through wood-fired cooking, and serve simple and innovative flavors. Guests can casually enjoy authentic Italian cuisine, including a lunch buffet featuring carefully made handmade bread and steaks baked in a wood-fired oven. The restaurant will also feature "BAR ROJY", where you can casually enjoy authentic cocktails and rare old whiskeys, and "Kogasaka Bake Sagami Ohno", where you can purchase freshly baked bread and baked goods, proposing a free, warm and unique restaurant experience to the people of the city.

Set against the backdrop of 1920s America during the construction era, this bar is based on the "speakeasy" culture of that time, where alcohol was illegally sold under the guise of beauty salons or law offices. JANAI HOTEL is the third location in the "JANAI" series of secret bars, incorporating the speakeasy mechanism, creating a gathering place only for those who find the concept intriguing. Opening a painting that doesn't look like a door leads to a secret bar accessible only to those who decipher the access code. Our company was responsible for design, layout, and architectural design.

This project is a phased renewal project that will take place over a period of approximately three years from 2022 to 2024. This is the third phase, and involves renovating the 46th floor "SKY VIEW" and "Entrance," transforming the building into a place that will generate new excitement and interaction.

This project involves the renovation of a permanent, comprehensive sales gallery that serves as an information hub for "Gracia," a housing brand developed by Sotetsu Real Estate, allowing visitors to experience the brand's worldview through actual properties and videos. The Sotetsu Line, which has been rooted in and cherished by the Yokohama area, has been connected to the Tokyu Line with improved convenience, making it easier for customers living in the city center to visit. The gallery opened in Shin-Yokohama, which functions as a hub connecting Yokohama, the headquarters of Sotetsu Real Estate, with other prefectures. The facility includes a lounge where events can be held, a presentation room where visitors can experience each property in VR, and a concept room that expresses the "high quality" of the Gracia brand. Our company was in charge of interiors concept design, custom-made environmental features, and displays.

This is a trial project towards "creating an inclusive stadium where everyone can enjoy themselves." For the first time, "Sensor-Friendly Tickets" will be sold at the professional baseball Eastern League official game to be held on Sunday, September 22, 2024, with the cooperation of the organizers, The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nippon Television, and Tokyo Dome.

This project involves the renovation of the office common areas of Shinagawa Intercity, a super high-rise, large-scale mixed-use building developed in 1998 as the core area for business and culture in the Shinagawa Konan district. The facility is long and narrow from north to south and has a complex structure like a small city, consisting of three office buildings, a commercial building, and a hall building. Based on the concept of "a city where wind and people circulate," concept design utilizes various spaces within the building to circulate people and uses "wind" as a motif to create a sense of unity across the multiple buildings. In order to strengthen competitiveness with surrounding office buildings, the design emphasizes a sense of luxury, and the wood-based space, which connects to the pleasant atmosphere of the central garden that spreads out before it, guides visitors further into the building with curves in the walls and ceilings that evoke a gentle breeze and continuous vertical lines. In addition, plans are currently underway to create a new environment so that tenants can find comfortable places to use the space in diverse ways, in addition to their offices.

displays facility tells the story of the remarkable achievements of the electric locomotive "ED76-509," which braved the heavy snows of Hokkaido and facilitated the movement of goods and people. The ED76 electric locomotive, which played an active role in the early days of electrification of the Japanese National Railways in Hokkaido, had to be dismantled for removal and disposal because its parts contained polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which raised concerns about the environmental impact of the vehicle. As dismantling was planned, the decision was made to preserve the head portion and create an displays facility in order to pass on this valuable cultural heritage to future generations. Similar head displays are made at railway museums throughout Japan, but this facility aims to allow visitors to experience the "strength" of the vehicle that cannot be fully conveyed by the head alone, by recreating the lost body portion in full size using outdoor-grade graphic panels. Through the shape, color, and size of the ED76, the facility conveys to visitors the great achievements and value that the vehicle brought to Hokkaido.

The "SeaZoo" fish displays area at Kinosaki Marine World in Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture, celebrated its 30th anniversary and reopened on July 25, 2024, after renovations. The concept of the newly completed displays "CUBE" in "SeaZoo" is "Towards a more conversational aquarium." Through conversations with the creatures and zookeepers, 20 cube-shaped tanks, illustrations, and graphic boards, it aims to be a new displays style that encourages learning together, curiosity, new discoveries, and free thinking.

Based on the concept of "NEXT HOME," this new office building project will be the foundation for the next generation for Yamaichi Jisho, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary since its founding. In response to the request from the company's president, Watanabe, that "we don't want a building that's just cool. We want a building that's alive," we held multiple workshops for all employees and the preparatory committee, and filled every corner of the new office with the thoughts of each employee, fostering a sense of it being "our office." Through this project, the motivation of each employee has changed, and new interactions have been created both inside and outside the company. An original "office for ourselves" has been born here, which will help Yamaichi Jisho solve the issues they expect from the company, such as communication, recruiting, and inheriting their DNA.

"Marunouchi Street Park" is a social experiment project that examines the future of Marunouchi Nakadori in Tokyo and explores ways to utilize it. Started in 2019, "Marunouchi Street Park 2024 Winter," now in its ninth year, expanded from the previous three blocks of Marunouchi Nakadori to five blocks, including Gyokodori, making it the largest event to date. Our company participated as the overall planning partner and operations manager. The theme this year was "Bright Street." We were responsible for the spatial design, construction, and operation, utilizing the illuminations that are a winter tradition in Marunouchi. We supported the planning and operation of popular environmentally friendly resin ice rinks, a glasshouse market with a wide variety of goods, and holiday-themed caricature content and street music. (Event period: November 14, 2024 - December 25, 2024)