Renewal

In August 2018, the university's iconic Naruse Memorial Auditorium was renewed to commemorate its 120th anniversary. The size of the seats in the auditorium was a little small for the present day Japanese physique. Hence, the seats were also changed at this opportunity. The larger seat size demanded for a design that was worthy of the historic interior.

The cast iron leg depicting the letter 'Z' when viewed from the side accented the previous design. For the new design, we poured aluminum into molds to recreate that exact shape of 'Z'. The wooden part of the backrest still inherits the same natural color. The new design too uses the vinyl leather for the upholstery, just that the new single tone bright color now gives a fresh look to the space.

The previous seats had a wooden board at the back which you could remove and use as a memo table. The first row seats now have a retractable memo table that can be rotated and pulled out from under the armrest, and a retractable table that fits into the backrest box of the seat in front of you has been installed from the second row onward.

Tokyo Bunka Kaikan got its facelift after 15 years since its last large-scale renovation in 1999. In light of the Great East Japan earthquake, Tokyo Bunka Kaikan is now fully earthquake-proof.
Cleaning of the exterior walls; reinforcement of the ceiling of the main hall against earthquakes; and upgrading of facilities including air conditioning, water supply & drainage, stage equipment, lighting have made the hall safer and more comfortable for its visitors.

Kotobuki Seating helped in refurbishing the seats. A change in seats can significantly impact the acoustics of a hall. Hence, this project was yet another challenge for us to ensure that the original high-class acoustics of the hall remained unimpacted after the renovation.
In the main hall that hosts a wide variety of performances, including operas, ballets, and classical concerts, the upholstery and cushions of the seats were replaced to revive and make the seating more comfortable. The metal fittings of the legs were repainted and reused.

The color scheme, which is mainly red combined with a few yellow, green, and purple seats, was designed to resemble a flower garden. The scattered-color scheme compared to unicolor makes even vacant seats appear occupied adding some liveliness, for example during rehearsals when nobody is in the audience.
The reupholstered and repainted seats have regained their beauty making the venue colorful.

24 years after its opening, the center underwent a major renovation from January to September 2017 in response to the aging of the building. The stage equipment including acoustics & lighting were updated and the ceiling in the entrance hall was replaced.
The seats were reupholstered, and their wooden frames were repainted.

We chose a custom-made upholstery fabric with a new pattern matching the existing color tone to give a fresh look while taking utmost care not to significantly change the original character of the space. On the base yellow fabric, yarns of blue and green have been used to exude the beauty of the bamboo grove in the courtyard, or the elegance of the 'ancient Kamakura city'. The light coral color radiates warmth. With multiple colors of yarns interwoven, this beautiful iridescent textile changes its expression depending on how the light hits it.

Among the wooden parts with significant peeling of paint, parts such as the armrests or the backrests of the most conspicuous aisle seats were repainted in a dark tone matching the existing color. In addition, partial repairs have been made to parts with significant damage including missing pieces. The work was done diligently by removing each seat one by one to ensure coverage and perfect finishing.