KAMITOPEN — Spatial Translations

The KAMITOPEN architectural firm primarily sees itself as a translator – with clients describing their wishes in words that are translated into architectural forms, which in turn are an expression of values. It may sound simple but is based on a wealth of experience. Shortly after completing his degree in architecture, Masahiro Yoshida founded his extraordinary “translation agency” in Tokyo in 2008, which creates authentic spaces of any size and dimension for clients.

KAMITOPEN interviewed by Red Dot

Red Dot: In your retail solution for KAMA-ASA, which specialises in kitchen tools, you rely heavily on storytelling: for example, the knives are presented on shelves made of old railway tracks. What story did you want to tell there?
KAMITOPEN: In Japan, when a kitchen knife is no longer sharp, you bring it to the store to have it sharpened and keep using it until a large knife becomes a small knife. In some cases, a kitchen knife is passed down from generation to generation. This is why KAMA-ASA SHOTEN and its customers have a lifelong relationship. With respect to the interior, we thought it should be made of materials that also are for lifelong use. The reason we used hardened rail steel is that we wanted to create an affinity between the product and the interior.

How important are haptics in the design of showrooms and shops?
Tactile sensation is very important. That is what makes real stores so exciting. Also, at KAMA-ASA, the knives are displayed on a black cutting board, so designed that visitors can hold the knives in their hands and get a sense of what it is like to actually cut and work with them.