LoHA design studio, led by Hiroshi Yamada, and Toshitaka Shimizu renovate the interior of a building in Katsuyama City, Japan, originally designed by Arata Isozaki in 1985.
The exposed concrete frame (1050mm grid and ceiling dome) with the strong formality of the existing Isozaki architecture is likened to "heaven", and the activities of people under it are likened to "earth".
Following the architect’s design principles, the project adjusts slight modifications to the interior, opting for a flexible product display with soft variabilities, such as scarves and miscellaneous goods that appear floating in the room. The refurbishment sets up a large table that can be recombined and round rings on the wall for hanging wires.
Architects have tuned the surface so that the existing frame and products such as scarves coexist, such as repainting the existing fixture counter, reupholstering the floor, and finishing new fixtures.
Lauan veneer, a material that easily deteriorates over time, coats various surfaces in the interior inviting guests to touch it, sit on it, or feel a sense of physical scale. The counter door between the exposed gray concrete wall and the soft tile carpet floor lays on a speaker saran that mediates conflicting textures facing the composition of the marble wall standing opposite. The soft moss-like tile carpet is laid between the concrete forms. The gray hues of both the rough and soft surfaces of the hall make the colorful scarves stand out. Several round rings attached to the wall are set up as a device to stretch wires and form a hanging system for the showcase of the products.
