Works#Sustainability

Nagano Children's Center "Naganobi!" is an indoor play facility created by completely renovating the former Nagano City Children's Science Center. Based on the concept of "nurturing children's life skills × an indoor park where everyone can feel comfortable and relaxed," it features nature, animals, and science as themes, and uses organic shapes reminiscent of forests and space, along with a highly circulating spatial configuration, to create an environment where children aged 0-12 can learn actively while playing with their whole bodies. The playground is themed around the nature of Nagano and features the "Forest Exploration Plaza," which encourages diverse physical activities such as swaying, spinning, climbing, grasping, and crawling to foster sensory integration (*), and the "Space Athletics," where children can play using their whole bodies in a light-based space. Furthermore, there is the "Science and Creativity Plaza," which consists of science shows, crafts, hands-on experiences of scientific principles, and digital experiences, as well as a large ball coaster themed around apple trees that allows children to enjoy sounds and movements, and a wood education plaza where children can feel the warmth of wood, offering a variety of play and learning experiences. It has been reborn as an "indoor park" where children can play to their hearts' content and the whole family can enjoy a comfortable time together. *Sensory integration: The function of appropriately classifying, organizing, and integrating multiple sensations that enter the body through various sensory organs.

Our company was in charge of Sigma's displays booth at CP+ 2026, the world's premier show for cameras and photographic imaging, held at Pacifico Yokohama. Since its founding, Sigma has always maintained a deep respect for people's passion for expression and has aimed to provide the best photographic equipment to meet all needs. One year after the announcement of a new VI that returns to this origin and re-examines the essence of Sigma, the Sigma booth at CP+ 2026 was an attempt to visualize this. In this project, the quality of "Made in Aizu, Japan," realized at the Aizu factory, the company's only production base, was used as the identity, and the philosophy of "The Art of engineering. Engineering for Art." was unfolded in the booth. The aim was to create a space where visitors could intuitively feel the respect and responsibility for optical technology, design philosophy, and photographic culture. In designing the booth, we reinterpreted "Japan" in the context of a comprehensive equipment displays. The booth's exterior design is inspired by the concepts of "hashirama" (spaces between pillars) and "yorishiro" (objects that serve as vessels for spirits), while the ceiling features a fabric curtain installation that expresses "light transmission" and "layered lenses." This was realized in collaboration with lighting designer Yoshiki Ichikawa (AURORA Inc.). By randomly hanging translucent fabric curtains and illuminating them with moving lights, a scene reminiscent of the fantastical misty landscapes of Aizu, Sigma's home ground, is created. In the test shooting experience corner, artwork made from waste materials generated during the manufacturing of aperture blades for interchangeable lenses was co-created with the team at Sawada concept design Studio. This was presented as a subject that allowed visitors to actually check the lens performance. Based on the question, "Are textual information and explanatory diagrams truly indispensable for true brand understanding?", the explanatory function was stripped down to the bare minimum, extracting only the most important physical brand embodiment value, aiming for a memorable spatial experience. *Event period: February 26 - March 1, 2026

At the Japan Mobility Show 2025, where visitors could experience Nissan Motor's "present" and "future" as they pioneer the era of electrification, the new Elgrand made its world premiere at the company's booth. The new model presents the evolved "joy of driving" through advanced technologies, including the third-generation e-POWER, and Nissan's vision of "premium touring mobility" as a new value proposition. Two new two-tone body colors have been adopted: "FUJI DAWN," which expresses the natural beauty of a fleeting moment at dawn over Mount Fuji, and "Shigoku," inspired by a color that has symbolized nobility and high status in Japan since ancient times. The lighting used to represent the passage of time from dawn to daytime and evening, symbolizing these colors, dramatically enhances the presence and worldview of the Elgrand. Furthermore, the booth features a minimalist, monochrome design based on white, expressing a pop-up book-like world where cars and cityscapes emerge from the pages of a blank book. In addition, it showcases models that embody Nissan's electrification and diverse lifestyle proposals, including the new Leaf with significantly extended driving range on a single charge, the new Roox which displays the value of kei cars, the Ariya with enhanced sophistication and advanced features, and the X-Trail with a stronger outdoor orientation. Moreover, the booth's configuration conveys a passion for driving and a commitment to challenge through the Fairlady Z, Skyline, Formula E car, and flagship SUV Patrol (Middle Eastern model). Our company handled the design, signage, production, and construction.

NANKAI 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 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 Tochigi Children's Science Museum, having been in operation for over 35 years since its opening in 1988, underwent renovations to address the aging of its buildings and displays. This included extending the lifespan of the building and updating planetarium equipment and displays. Our company handled the entire process, from schematic design and working drawings of the large-scale renovation, including displays, interiors, and outdoor playground equipment, to the construction displays Based on an interactive approach, 156 displays and playground equipment incorporating new technologies such as AI and AR were created through a combination of newly manufactured and reused items. displays that have been beloved by the people of Tochigi for many years were also cleaned and refurbished for continued use. Furthermore, collaborative displays themed on the prefecture's natural environment and industries, a large symbolic displays, and a lounge were added, highlighting the museum's unique character as a science museum that reflects Tochigi's identity. This also aimed to reduce renovation costs, improve maintenance efficiency, and create a new science experience space that balances safety and functionality.

Prologis, a leading global company in the ownership, operation, and development of logistics real estate, has opened a multi-tenant logistics facility, "Prologis Park Kitakami Kanegasaki," in Kanegasaki Town, Iwate Prefecture. We were responsible for the exterior graphic and sign concept design, as well as the basic concept design and design supervision of the customer lounge area.

The Fukushima Reconstruction displays, sponsored by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, was held for five days from May 20th to 24th at EXPO Messe "WASSE" within the Osaka-Kansai Expo site. The event showcased the activities of people in the Hamadori region of Fukushima Prefecture and other areas who, despite facing a complex disaster involving earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster, have managed to preserve the region's culture and attractions and pass them on to the future. It also introduced new initiatives by various businesses developing cutting-edge robots, rockets, and other technologies.

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.

At "Japan Home Show & Building Show 2025," Japan's largest comprehensive architectural displays, we created displays booth to promote the new product "PANECO®," an environmentally friendly material upcycled from discarded clothing. Our company was responsible for the overall concept concept design, planning, and construction of the booth. Based on PANECO® and light gauge steel (LGS), we concept design a large structure approximately 4 meters high, with the floor, walls, and ceiling all constructed from PANECO®. The full-scale wall surface intuitively conveyed the scale of its use as an interiors building material, while the interior proposed living scenes that utilize PANECO®. By giving the exterior and interior of the booth different surfaces, we created displays booth that directly and impressively conveys that it can be used as both a base material and a finishing material, as well as the relationships between building materials, ease of construction, and the appearance and texture of the material itself.

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.

GORA KADAN KADAN FUJI, with its 42 guest rooms and public areas offering panoramic views of Mount Fuji's summit directly to the west, is the first accommodation facility opened by the historic Hakone inn, "GORA KADAN KADAN." Our company was responsible for the design, layout of the common areas in the reception building, including the lobby lounge, dining area, bar, spa, and shops, as well as concept design of the FFE (furniture, fixtures, and equipment) for all areas, including the guest rooms.

The renovation of the first and second floors of Barneys New York's Ginza flagship store was based on the concepts of "memory" and "creation," aiming to create a space that respects the tradition (=memory) that the brand has built up over many years while generating new value (=creation). By utilizing existing fixtures such as calm wood-grain walls and niches, and combining sustainable materials, materials that blend naturally with existing finishes, and unique, symbolic fixtures, the store aims to fuse timeless quality with challenging humor. The watch workshop at the back of the first floor was planned as a "visible customer service" space, and the experience of staying there is enhanced by providing a semi-private consultation space that gives a sense of privacy. In addition, the newly installed cafe counter was designed with visibility from the outside in mind, aiming to attract new customers. As you proceed to the second floor, which is connected by the central staircase, mirror walls at different angles are installed so that the entire floor can be seen, forming an iconic look. Further back, a display is placed in front of the vintage area to improve attraction and flow. Within a short construction period and limited budget, we achieved a reliable concept design proposal by actively reusing existing fixtures and conducting rapid verification using point cloud data. The project resulted in creating an iconic and luxurious space that embodies Barneys' unique style, inheriting tradition while pioneering the future.

The Sumitomo Pavilion at the 2025 Japan International Exposition (Osaka-Kansai Expo) is a pavilion where visitors can experience a grand "story of life" set in the "UNKNOWN FOREST." With lanterns in hand, children and adults alike can freely wander through the forest and experience the interconnectedness of life that is usually unseen. In response to the movements of visitors, light and mist change, and the "story of life" in nature emerges in the forest, depicting trees conversing in the soil, the life cycle of trees spanning hundreds of years, and the animals and fungi lurking in the forest. In a theater deep within the forest, the trajectory and fragments of memories of the Mother Tree, which has watched over this forest, from its birth to its end, are depicted. The wind and mist that drift through the space stir the senses of visitors, and the climax is reached with a powerful performance in which layered images, music, and people merge. After the forest experience, visitors will explore the "Seeds of the Future" area, where over 700 cutting-edge technologies and initiatives from the Sumitomo Group are displays, leading to a platform utilizing generative AI where anyone can create and share ideas for the future. The Sumitomo Pavilion itself was constructed using approximately 1,000 cedar and cypress trees planted in 1970, the year of the Osaka World Expo. In addition to their experience at "UNKNOWN FOREST," visitors can participate in a "tree-planting experience" where they can touch seedlings and soil, and the newly grown seedlings will be returned to the original forest. This "story of life" will continue even after the Expo, and will be passed on to future generations.