Communication is the core of the project. A socially beneficial space created through experience concept design.

Sayaka Koga is a spatial designer who specializes in spatial concept design centered on communication and is active in a wide range of fields as an all-round player. Since joining the company, Koga has been committed to concept design experiences. She talks about the appeal of working at NOMURA and what she values in her work.

Mainly in charge of spatial concept design centered on communication. concept design "experiences"

Koga is a member of the Creative Headquarters First concept design Center concept design Division 3. He is currently working as a room chief on various projects with other members.

Koga: "While many teams specialize in a specific area, our team works in a wide range of areas, including offices, commercial facilities, showrooms, and displays.

Another thing that sets us apart from other concept design teams is that we are often involved from the launch of the project. Based on the idea that the role of concept design is to absorb the customer's issues and solve them, we are involved in projects from the concept creation phase."

Koga specializes in spatial concept design centered on communication. He says that the essential task is to thoroughly listen to clients' concerns, identify their issues, and then incorporate them into concept design.

Koga: For example, in a multi-store project for which I am in charge of concept design concept and flagship store concept design, we are working to create a space where local people can feel more comfortable stopping by, rather than just buying products, with communication with local people as the keyword.

There are many things that I can only understand by talking directly to customers, store staff, and other people on the front lines, or by visiting the site. The basic process concept design is to exchange opinions with many different people, pick up on problems and key words, get ideas from them, and then elevate them into spatial concept design."

Currently, Koga is working on multiple projects in parallel, but Koga's style is to co-create projects with customers.

Koga: We are in a different position from the ordering side/receiving side, but we face each project with the feeling that we will create it together with the customer. It is the customer who continues to use the completed space.

Since joining the company, Koga has been an all-rounder who has worked on a wide range of spatial concept design, but he has particularly demonstrated his strengths in the planning and concept design of communication spaces.

Koga: "I have tried to concept design the 'experience' rather than the space itself. While aesthetic sense such as 'stylish' or 'beautiful' is influenced by personal subjectivity, I believe there is something universal about the senses that are linked to the experiences that take place within a space, such as 'usability' and 'comfort.'

For example, if a place that parents and children visit on a daily basis is too modern, it will feel out of place, and they will prefer a relaxing space. Just like that, we see concept design as merely a tool to solve problems, and we place importance on spatial concept design that focuses on the experience value."

Responsible for spatial concept design of an experiential museum aimed at nurturing children's curiosity

▲Panasonic Creative Museum AkeruE

Koga says that while he aspired to be a designer, he didn't have a concrete image of what spatial design would entail when he was job hunting. He explains why he decided to join NOMURA after considering various companies.

Koga: "As the largest company in the display industry, they not only handle interiors of offices and shops, but also cultural facilities and large events such as motor shows, and I was attracted by the wide range of concept design areas and the number of projects they offer. The fact that I thought I would be able to gain a variety of experiences was what made me decide to join the company."

After joining the company, Koga was assigned to the Business Division, which is responsible for the corporate museum, displays, sales promotion, etc. For several years, he worked on relatively small-scale projects in displays team, but as he gained experience, he was given the responsibility of managing permanent exhibitions and large-scale displays.

After that, Koga became involved in many projects within the Panasonic Group, and gained experience in a variety of fields, including not only displays but also offices and showrooms. One of the projects he was involved in was the Panasonic Creative Museum AkeruE.

Koga "AkeruE is the successor facility of RiSuPia, a hands-on museum where you can experience the charm of science and mathematics that used to be in the Panasonic Center Tokyo in Ariake. Based on STEAM education (*), the theme is SDGs. It was established as a place to practice inquiry-based learning and to nurture children's intellectual curiosity and inspiration, with the aim of nurturing human resources who can face new social issues.

concept design concept is based on five elements: "It's okay to get it dirty, it feels like you can make it yourself, it can be rearranged, it feels like you're outside of the box, and it feels like a session with everyone." We used the colloquial words that members spoke during the brainstorming session at the beginning of the project as the concept."

Koga says that during the concept-making process, he thoroughly discussed how the space should be so as not to put the brakes on the children's imagination. It took shape while involving various members.

Koga: There was an atmosphere of ``Let's try it anyway,'' and members of other companies who were in charge of planning and operation came together to come up with ideas, and we solidified the concept while actually experiencing it ourselves.

In total, more than 100 people are involved, with many artists participating, discussions with researchers about the principles of art, and educators stationed at the studio.”

AkeruE opened in April 2021. It is said that there is a big reaction.

Koga: It's been quite a success, with groups of elementary and junior high school students coming in almost every day. We received an unbelievably large number of entries, and the finished works by the participants are all wonderful.

*STEAM education: An educational method advocated by adding Art to STEM education, which integrates the learning of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

*Panasonic Center Tokyo Official website here
*Panasonic Creative Museum AkeruE Official website here
* Regarding the spatial concept design of "Panasonic Creative Museum AkeruE", More details on Nomulog I am

The showroom has been transformed into a community space. Creating a community that can grow with the region

▲ KeiyoGAS Community Terrace

Another thing that Koga has been involved in so far is "KeiyoGAS Community Terrace" that left a particularly strong impression on me. This project refurbished the Keiyo Gas showroom in Ichikawa City, Chiba Prefecture, into a community space open to the local community.

Koga: "The customer had the idea of rebranding to a company that provides comprehensive support for people's lives, so I proposed a move away from the showroom.

It was a rather bold decision for the customer of the gas company not to display products such as gas appliances, but as a result, we created a space that embodies the brand concept of corporate activities aimed at gaining empathy from the local community. I think it did."

Koga is in charge of planning and spatial concept design together with the planner. He says that concept design is to accommodate the free activities and various ways of spending time of local residents, so that everyone can feel at home there.

Koga: "concept design concept is a veranda. The name "KeiyoGAS Community Terrace" (commonly known as "Terasu") reflects our hope that it will be a space that serves as a point of contact between people, the city, and life, where people can casually stop by and take a break, just like a veranda (terrace).

Under the slogan, “Light up children, adults, and the town,” we have developed a mechanism that allows users to participate in community building and efforts to support the lives and activities of local residents. We wanted to create a community that would grow.”

Koga says that he created it while thinking about it together with citizens and local groups. Here too, we worked with the planners to pick up the voices of the locals and put them into shape.

Koga: "In preparation for the competition, the planners took the lead in thoroughly researching every detail, including observing the surrounding facilities and people walking along the streets. We picked up on issues and problems from interviews with local residents and local groups, such as 'We are struggling because we don't have anywhere to go' and 'The number of playgrounds for children has decreased due to the COVID-19 pandemic', and incorporated these into a concrete concept design."

Koga says that in recent years she has been able to create warmer spaces that emphasize comfort, and that her experiences of maternity and childcare leave are reflected in concept design.

Koga “I feel that having a child has given me a new sense of sensibility. I keenly felt the need for such a space.

In the KeiyoGAS Community Terrace project, I believe that the new sensations I gained from spending time with children were effectively utilized in the spatial concept design, such as concept design a comfortable place where people can spend time casually and placing an emphasis on well-being."

* Details about the "KeiyoGAS Community Terrace" project can be found on Nomulog.​

Social good and well-being initiatives through the creation of spaces in life

Koga says that interest in spaces in daily life is growing more and more these days. This is how I see my direction as a spatial designer.

Koga: I would like to create a place that is always there and can be called a place to belong.

For example, there are times when just being in a space you like can enrich your soul. If I may exaggerate a little, I would like to make the richness of spatial concept design something that everyone can enjoy as a matter of course, like social infrastructure. I would like to increase the opportunities to come into contact with such spaces.

Also, in an interview, a junior colleague said, "I want to create concept design that I don't feel guilty about," and I agree. Recently, based on the SDGs, we have been incorporating upcycling of existing materials as much as possible into spatial concept design. I hope that creating spaces in our daily lives will naturally lead to social good and well-being initiatives."

NOMURA is the only place where we can be involved in such initiatives. Koga continues by saying the following about the appeal of his workplace:

Koga “This is the best opportunity in the industry to work with various professionals inside and outside the company, such as sales, planners, directors (production management), and people from cooperating companies. As I often advance the development process, I sometimes come up with ideas that I had never thought of during conversations.