2012
Utsunomiya (Japan)
TBC is the largest group of colleges in the northern Kanto region. This project was a commission to design a new professional cooking school located in Utsunomiya. The concept was to create "spaces for learning that would excite and stimulate the five senses". Symbolic colors and hues associated with particular foods were extracted from this space for learning about food and cuisine, and incorporated into its design. Four thematic colors, each in five tones, were used on each floor of the building. The first floor was turned into a multi-colored space incorporating all the shades used on the second through fifth floors, transforming it into a lively and animated hub where students can go back and forth, as well as gather together. Colorful lobby chairs were placed in the first floor entrance hall, which constitutes the public face of the school. These chairs create a dynamic series of colored lines that seem to flow in a continuous stream from the reception area to the demonstration room. The gradations of similar hues and square motifs used on the interior walls give students the sensation of strolling through a series of light, nimble rhythms and colors.