Works#Sustainability

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.

In May, when the zelkova trees lining the streets are covered in fresh green leaves and Sendai becomes its most beautiful "City of Trees," the "Sendai Aoba Festival," a historical festival showcasing the refined elegance of the Date clan, is held. This festival began in 1985, the 350th anniversary of the death of Date Masamune, as a revival of a festival from the Edo period Sendai domain. For the fourth festival in 1988, five Sendai Yamaboko floats were created to recreate the procession of floats from that time, and the procession was revived. The following year, five more floats were added, and in 1995, one more was created, bringing the total to eleven. Our Tohoku branch has been involved in the creation of the floats from the early stages, and because of that connection, our branch staff still work together every year to support the procession. And in 2025, for the first time in 30 years, a 12th float, the "Gokoku Hojo Yamaboko," will be added to the festival. Creating a new float requires considerable expense. Furthermore, with the participation of over 100 people, including those pulling the float and dancing, sponsorship requires a fairly large local organization or group. In this context, the cooperation of Iris Ohyama, a company based in Sendai, Miyagi, made the creation of a new float a reality. Due to our long-standing relationship with the "Sendai Aoba Festival," our company was in charge of the concept design and production of the float. *Event period: Every year on the third Sunday of May and the day before.

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.

Opened in July 2025 in Kakegawa City, Shizuoka Prefecture, the new indoor playground "mirocco" aims to be a place where children can not only enjoy playing to their heart's content, but also enjoy it with their families and local people. This facility has renovated the pool and hot bath facilities that were located in the indoor facility "Tamarina" in the 22nd Century Hills Park in Mansui, Kakegawa City, and have been renovated into an all-weather playground. While making use of our know-how in regional revitalization and facility business, we were in charge of everything from concept formulation to design, construction of interiors, playground equipment, and decoration, and operation. In addition, as a voluntary business of the DBO* business, we have made private investment to improve the attractiveness of the facility by adding playground equipment, artificial furniture, fixtures, signs, graphics, etc. About Facility Concept/Space concept design The facility concept is "Let's create every day." 365 (3 = Mi / 6 = Ro / 5 = Ko) The naming was decided by voting for "mirocco" with the meaning that it will be a facility where everyone can gather. The four main areas are "Guruguru no Yama" where you can play with playground equipment, "Waku Waku Base" where you can play quietly, "Hitoyasumi Lounge" where adults can relax, and "Hi Hi Hara" where babies can play safely. In addition to these areas, Tamarina will open a new store in Shizuoka Prefecture, "This Is Cafe", offering menus that are easy to use for customers of all ages. In addition, the interior of the facility, such as the interiors, playground equipment, and benches, uses local resources, and uses environmentally friendly materials in various places, such as benches using prefectural logged wood, workshop spaces that use scraps and waste materials as work materials, and plastering walls using "soil" from the Kakegawa River. *DBO: Abbreviation for Design Build Operate (design, construction, and operation), one of the business methods when developing public facilities. The public entrusts the design, construction, and operation of facilities to private operators.

AINEC has relocated Head Office to Frontier Meieki, an environmentally conscious and advanced office building located in Meieki, Nakamura-ku, Nagoya. The concept is "Hope of Light," reflecting the new beginning and hopeful future that the company will experience in a space where its symbolic color, "AINEC Blue," and light intertwine. The office space features an advanced design that fuses environmental considerations with concept design, and uses "light," "blue," and "environmentally friendly materials" as concept design elements to create a place that embodies the company's purpose and vision. Under the direction of Taki Tanaka, CEO of IZA, who is in charge of AINEC's branding, a symbolic "light" art installation was created in the reception area in collaboration with Takahiro Matsuo, CEO of LUCENT Inc (artwork), and Setsuya Kurotaki, CEO of NOiR inc (sound concept design). Furthermore, the gentle AINEC Blue envelops the entire office, fostering a sense of unity and connection among all those who gather here. In addition, for the raised access floor, the existing subfloor was cleaned and reused, reducing the environmental impact by eliminating the need for finishing materials. For the wall materials, cement tiles made from recycled waste such as coal ash from thermal power plants and used coffee grounds were used. Our company was in charge of the design and construction.