Bronze A' Design Award in Interior Space and Exhibition Design Goes to United Cinemas Fukuoka Momochi Cinema Complex by Kunihisa Akiyama

The international grand jury of the 2018 - 2019 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes Kunihisa Akiyama for interior space and exhibition design

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 20, 2019 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Bronze A' Design Award in the Interior Space and Exhibition Design category for United Cinemas Fukuoka Momochi Cinema Complex by Kunihisa Akiyama, designed for UNITED CINEMAS Co., Ltd.. The recognition forms part of the 2018 - 2019 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined 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.

What the Bronze A' Design Award Means

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.

More About United Cinemas Fukuoka Momochi Cinema Complex

United Cinemas Fukuoka Momochi is a cinema complex located in a shopping center in Fukuoka, Japan. The interior covers 5,057.99 square meters and contains eleven screens with 1,674 seats. A high lobby ceiling carries top lighting that imitates sunlight and falls softly on walls with a special plaster finish. The low ceiling of the entrance approach contrasts with the large open hall, which is kept free of signage. Calm and refined materials replace the bright style often used in cinemas. The interior aims to make watching a film a quiet and special experience.

About Kunihisa Akiyama

I would like to know that how our design concept will be evaluated in the world, so that is reason why I am interested in A’ Design Award. Our design concept is not only for spatial or material issue but also for relationship or environment of neighborhoods, or region. We strongly thought that this cinema should be there generating brand-new involvement of people, tenants and cinema. If we won a prize whatever, that would be the proof our concept global, not only accepted in Japan.

Award Record

This recognition makes Kunihisa Akiyama a winner of 2 A' Design Awards. The awards were granted between the 2017 - 2018 and the 2018 - 2019 editions of the A' Design Award & Competition.

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. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to interior designers, interior architects, architects and decorators from all countries. Typical entries include residential interiors, restaurants, hotels, offices, galleries and retail stores. The awarded interior designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/interior

About A' Design Award & Competition

Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is 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. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously 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. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which 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, uploading a work and receiving a 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. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/80183
A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/80183
Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!80183
Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/168432
Further Information from the Laureate: https://www.unitedcinemas.jp/index.html

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: United Cinemas Fukuoka Momochi Cinema Complex
Function: Cinema Complex
Category: Interior Space and Exhibition Design
Discipline: Spatial Design
Industry: Architecture and Packaging & Retail
Colors: Black, Silver, Dark Olive Green, Light Slate Gray and Gray
Images: 5
Client: UNITED CINEMAS Co., Ltd.

The Recognition

Laureate: Kunihisa Akiyama
Country: Japan
Recognition: Bronze A' Design Award
Edition: 2018 - 2019
Design ID: #80183

Credits

Team: Makoto Tanijiri, Ai Yoshida, SUPPOSE DESIGN OFFICE Co., Ltd., Hironobu Imamura, Nao Uda and Shinji Yamaguchi, Yayoi Aota
Image Credits: Photographer: Toshiyuki Yano

Design Details

Unique Properties: High ceiling like a cathedral pours light on the lobby, and huge volume of space makes us feel silence and solemn. The designers tried dispel the old-type-image of Japanese movie theatre by adapting materials that usually not used in theatre, lighting works, and space volume. Unlike the other countries like United States or Korea, watching movie is not very familiar with Japanese yet. “Make a experience of small special event of watching movie superior.” The designers designed the space hotel liked to feel calm and luxual.
Inspiration: Sophisticated, classy, and magnificence are the concept of this project. Fukuoka pref., this cinema located, is one of the large metropolitan city in Japan and people living or visiting here are highly sophisticated. We United Cinemas, making the cinema complex adapts design snuggle the town located, tried make it loved by such people high sense. Also, “the sky” is the concept of 4th floor so the designers tried the guests feel outer space.
Research: We controlled the surprises and emotions that is made by the gap between the low ceiling of the approach and the large space not messed by information, such as publicity or signage. We revised over and over to control the gaze. Also, we have made the arrangement of top-light with sunshine overflow by artificial light. To make it natural, big number of powerful instruments with subtle angle of enlighting was demanded because we had to put them on beside inside the cealing.
Challenge: We planned to gently shine the walls of a special plastering finish with the architecture of a large ceiling space and the top light of artificial light imitating natural light.
Realization and Technology: Having the good relationship with the shopping mall which contains City Library was the beginning of this project. People who visit the building are highly sensitive and full of intellectual curiosity. Considering the movies as intellectual content, cinemas can be place satisfies such people as libraries or Museums, not just a place watching movies. Such place must be cozy and comfortable for adults but not like uplifting and exciting that was usual interior design for cinemas.
Operation and Interaction: "Make Lifestyle Better" is the concept of the mall merchandising so it was completely over-rap of ours. Also "Yahuoku! Dome", the baseball stadium, locates next to the mall so this area gives not only one but complex entertainment for people.
Project Duration and Location: The project started in 2016 and finished in 2019 in Fukuoka, JAPAN. Fukuoka prefecture has a population of 1.5 million people. This cinemacomplex is located in the shopping center of an exclusive residential area close to the coast of this town. The baseball dome capacity of 38,500 people and 2 tower apartments are going to adjacent to the shopping center.
Specifications: 11 Screens, 5,057.990 sqm., Total capacity 1674 seats. One screen for 4DX, another screen for Screen X, two screens for Live theatre and seven screens for usual projection. Two backstage dressing rooms, projection room and backrooms for staff.
Keywords: Cinema, Cinema Complex, Movie theatre