Works#Sustainability

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.

This project involved the opening of the first "Real×Tech LAWSON" store in KDDI's new Head Office, utilizing AI and DX technologies. In addition to the basic construction of the new store concept design, our CIC (Content Integration Center) leveraged its high level of expertise in technology to propose various ideas and produce the store in order to utilize AI and DX technologies. Furthermore, the store was designed with sustainability in mind, such as reusing discarded uniforms worn by Lawson store staff as flooring and discarded clothing as panels. The signage installed in the store is linked to "City OS," a data platform for collecting, analyzing, and utilizing various urban data, and displays information such as weather, train delays, city congestion, and event information. In addition, the store incorporates many new initiatives aiming to make convenience stores an integral part of urban infrastructure, such as a "cleaning robot" that runs around the store, "signage" that displays recommended products in response to customers' actions (such as reaching for items) in front of product shelves using AI cameras, and a "Ponta General Consultation Center" that supports the resolution of everyday problems.

"Ginza Niigata Information Center THE NIIGATA" is Niigata Prefecture's information hub for the Tokyo metropolitan area. Spanning five floors from the basement to the 3rd and 8th floors, it offers a variety of functions including retail spaces, a sake tasting corner, event spaces, a restaurant, and a consultation service for people considering relocating to Niigata. Our company was responsible for the design construction of the basement to the 3rd floor, as well as the facility's branding planning and brand logo development. In addition to Niigata's rich attractions such as "rice," "sake," and "snow," we planned the facility with "art" as the central theme of the planning and concept design. Through the use of Niigata-derived materials and displays scattered throughout, we aimed to create a facility that would allow people to feel the charm of Niigata and inspire them to visit Niigata.

Cartier, a brand that has always supported women, will be exhibiting at the Women's Pavilion at the Osaka-Kansai Expo. Based on the concept of "Toward a Future Where We Live Together and Shine Together," the pavilion will call for a fair and sustainable future through the experiences and perspectives of women. Through an artistic and overwhelming spatial concept design and an immersive displays experience using audio guides, the pavilion will highlight the contributions of women in society and invite visitors on a journey to unravel the "power of change."

The "Cities of the Future" pavilion at the 2025 Japan International Exposition (Osaka-Kansai Expo) is a joint exhibition project by the Expo Association and 12 sponsoring companies. The Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) displays place is based on the concept of "WIND VISION" and consists of a large-scale model of the hydrogen production ship "Wind Hunter," which MOL is developing, and a large screen. Interactive, experiential displays were created to allow visitors to feel the inexhaustible natural energy of "wind" that the Wind Hunter captures, and the "wind" as movement generated by the ship.

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.

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.

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.