Yusuke Seki

BKKT_108_DC54957_L

Project Information

Open Month / Year
June,2016
Photographer
Takumi Ota
Client
bake Inc.
Web
http://www.bake-jp.com
Location
Kyoto,Japan

Bake Cheese tart store Kyoto

Assemble today’s locality of Kyoto.

The confectionary company BAKE traces its origins to the famed dairy farming tradition of Hokkaido.

This project is the newest bakery storefront, tasked with the production and sales of the brand’s signature item– a freshly baked cheese tart– in a Kyoto shopping district.

The layers of Japanese history remain deepest and most wholly intact here. The culture that is local to Kyoto has always attracted many, but in recent years, at times, the number of guests on its streets swells to nearly double the resident population. By nature of this influx, the tradition that appeals to so many has itself modulated, incorporating patterns of behavior that are more accepting in international terms.

Experimentation with this context, deforming and re-conceptualizing ‘local’ until global in scope, inspired the selection of building materials. A correlating push for an expansion in local’s mode of communication demanded that they be both relational and rich in potential.

 

Cheese tarts, freshly baked in the open kitchen at the back of the store, are soon lined up and displayed on a counter constructed of Lego.  This architectural fabric serves as the shared language of communication between those whose spoken language may differ.  Its appeal is universal, intuitive, and its attraction felt by nearly every generation. It evokes a sense of intimacy, creating a moment that connects people to this space.

At the same time, the walls of the retail area employ “shitaji- mado”, a lattice framework technique traditionally used in the construction of Japanese teahouses. The exact specifications of the grid are strictly governed by each locality’s respective guild of artisans, with no two being exactly the same. Left partially exposed, these walls allow customers to interact with a new iteration of tradition, while simultaneously encouraging an interaction the older exterior wall cladding. The store is thereby given a firm sense of place, reverberating with a reverence for the region.

Through this project, Seki has uncovered a new significance by reflecting on and tapping into the potential intrinsic to the locality itself.

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Yusuke Seki


About


Yusuke Seki are Japan based Design team.

Their approach to design challenges is to conceptualise and revaluate into irreplaceable design with new interpretations. His designs embrace simplicity and minimalism at first glance and his inspiration comes directly from aspects which already exist within the context: such as materials, location, histories; all gathered and represented through the formal design approach. The function is essential in his design but through his work he focuses on facts and phenomena from the environment, including the essential design methods from the past, passed through to the future.

 

The Great Indoors Award 2015

The American Architecture Prize 2016 Platinum Award

The German Design Award 2017

 


Contact email :
info@yusukeseki.com


Studio adress :

 

Tokyo office:
♯703 3-27-9 Gohongi
Meguro-ku, Tokyo
Zip 153-0053 Japan

 

Kyoto office:
460 Daikoku-cho
Inokuma-Dori Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto
Zip 602-8245 Japan

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