Takahiro Todoroki Is Honored with the Bronze A' Design Award for Kanizushi Kato Sushi Restaurant in Interior Space and Exhibition Design

Takahiro Todoroki acknowledged for interior space and exhibition design by the international grand jury of the 2023 - 2024 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 24, 2024 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Kanizushi Kato Sushi Restaurant by Takahiro Todoroki, designed for Kitagunikaranookurimono Inc., has been granted the Bronze A' Design Award in the Interior Space and Exhibition Design category. The recognition forms part of the 2023 - 2024 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

About the Bronze A' Design Award

The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.

Regarding Kanizushi Kato Sushi Restaurant

Kanizushi Kato is a sushi restaurant in Niseko, Hokkaido, Japan. The restaurant serves sushi, crab and Japanese cuisine to international visitors at a snow resort. The design draws on Ainu patterns, Japanese shrines and the form of Mount Yotei. Local timber is used throughout, with a ceiling structure of local cedar and a counter of solid Japanese cypress made with traditional shrine woodworking. A plastered passageway recalls a kamakura snow hut, and gold leaf covers the private room ceiling and partitions. A bar at the entrance lets guests enjoy drinks while waiting.

About Takahiro Todoroki

engine,inc. was established in Tokyo in 2000 and has designed for over 350 projects in Japan and around the world." Bringing Japan's unique and soulful designs to the world! is our motto, and we are working to bring the design of "WABI" and "SABI", the ancient Japanese aesthetics of space, to the world by sublimating them into modern design. We are also working to commercialize all products related to space as our own original products, and plan to launch the "FUTURE NEON" lighting brand and the "CONTENEDOR DESIGN LABO" house brand in 2024.

Award Record

This recognition makes Takahiro Todoroki a winner of 1 A' Design Award.

About the A' Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award

The A' Interior Design Award is an international interior design competition recognizing good interior designs by interior designers and architects worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to interior designers, interior architects, architects and decorators from all countries. Entries typically include residential interiors, restaurants, hotels, offices, galleries and retail stores. Awarded interior designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/interior

About A' Design Award & Competition

A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/158705
A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/158705
Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!158705
Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/352629
Further Information from the Laureate: https://www.engine-inc.jp/

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

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Fact Sheet

The Work

Project: Kanizushi Kato Sushi Restaurant
Function: Sushi Restaurant
Category: Interior Space and Exhibition Design
Discipline: Spatial Design
Industry: Architecture and Packaging & Retail
Colors: Sienna, Peru, Black and Saddle Brown
Images: 5
Client: Kitagunikaranookurimono Inc.

The Recognition

Laureate: Takahiro Todoroki
Country: Japan
Recognition: Bronze A' Design Award
Edition: 2023 - 2024
Design ID: #158705

Credits

Image Credits: Photographer: Katsumi Hirabayashi

Design Details

Unique Properties: We were asked to design a restaurant in Niseko, Hokkaido, now a world-class snow resort, where international visitors could enjoy authentic sushi, crab, and Japanese cuisine during their stay. We knew that all of the dishes would be of great character, so we designed a restaurant that would allow visitors to enjoy a taste of Japan and Hokkaido, with stylistic design elements throughout the space.
Inspiration: Our design is inspired by the rich tapestry of Hokkaido's indigenous Ainu culture, the spiritual serenity of Japanese shrines and temples, and the majestic presence of Mount Yotei, known as Niseko's Mt FUJI. The aim of this fusion is to create a space where international visitors can immerse themselves in the essence of Japanese architecture, culture, and cuisine during their short stay.
Challenge: Unlike a typical Japanese sushi restaurant layout, the concept of this sushi restaurant at a snow resort was to have customers enjoy drinks such as Japanese sake and Japanese whiskey. Therefore, we designed a layout with a waiting bar at the entrance where customers can enjoy only drinks. It was also difficult to integrate the sushi counter, private rooms, and other spaces with their own unique characteristics.
Realization and Technology: We aimed for local production for local consumption by using all local lumber. The wood used for the counter tops is traditional Japanese woodworking used in shrines. The passageway tunnel, which resembles a kamakura, a traditional Japanese snow hut built to bivouac during snowstorms, is finished with Japanese plaster. The ceiling and partitions are covered with traditional gold leaf.
Project Duration and Location: The project period is from August 19, 2022 to November 30, 2022.Located in Niseko, Hokkaido, Japan
Specifications: The walls of the BAR are painted with traditional Ainu tribal patterns. The wooden structure of the ceiling of the sushi counter is made of local cedar wood, and the counter is made of solid Japanese cypress. The walls are plastered. In the private room, gold leaf paper is used for the folded-up ceiling and partitions. The tables are also coated with Japanese paper with urethane.
Keywords: sushi,restaurant,Hokkaido