Schemata: World Basics

The pop up furniture exhibition by Jo Nagasaka / Schemata Architects installed in the lobby of a Tokyo building coexists with the regular business activities.

“Basics” is something that keeps renewing itself, according to demands of the society or advancement in technologies. 

Based on this concept of “Renewable Basics” we design an exhibition space for the World Basics.

The exhibition is held in the lobby of the World building where the reception counter and meeting tables are located. Our design incorporates anonymous elements (such as plants, watering cans, meeting tables etc.) in the exhibition space so that activities of regular business and exhibition will co-exist naturally. 

The concept of “Renewable Basics” is also expressed in the display furniture by creative attempts to break stereotypical images of conventional furniture. Firstly clothing racks, including hanging bars, are made of wood instead of metal. Normally when hanging clothes, clinking sounds of metal are taken for granted, but we wanted to change that preconception by using wood. Secondly display tables are made of soft sponge-like material.

Unlike conventional ‘hard’ display tables, these ‘soft’ display tables will give a soft and soothing touch (instead of pressing pain in stomach) when a customer leans on them to take a close look at clothes.  The two types of display furniture are composed of unconventional combination of hybrid materials.

WORLD BASICS 2013 AW Exhibition
Kita-Aoyama Minato Tokyo
Architects: Schemata Architects (Jo Nagasaka+Ryosuke Yamamoto+Miku Watanabe)
Construction: TANK
Floor area: 368 m2
Graphic design: Fumikazu Ohara

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