Karis / Suppose Design Office

Architects: Suppose design office
Location: Higashi Hiroshima city, Hiroshima, Japan
Project Team: Makoto Tanijiri, Kazutaka Sumi
Client: Kazuin Ltd
Structure: Cardboard Tubes
Total Floor Area: 117.70 sqm
Project Year: 2009
Photographs: Toshiyuki Yano


This is a boutique project for “karis” in a shopping center in Hiroshima.

floor plan

The space is for shopping but also for holding events. The concept of the store is space that is changing its view or atmosphere depending on where you are standing, such as caves or limestone caves. At some points the place offers a view to the end of the store, and also it has an area surrounded by the inner partitions. The experience walking through the artificial yet random space would be close to something like walking in nature. The purpose of the design is to offer a new shopping experience that people could see products through strolling in nature.

The materials of the partitions are paper tubes that are strong and easy to work with, and moreover, they are using for tubes to roll up cloths. The tubes are layered randomly as to be uneven surfaces and create arch shapes as partition for the store.

section

Because of the arches, the store creates various spaces that are irregular and complex, such as caves in nature. The boutique could be used in different way with the unique characteristics of the partitions through a year. We believe that the store would be a chance to find a new and fresh relationship between people and products.