kengo kuma's modular wooden shelf with moving plates carries on ryuichi sakamoto’s design

Kengo kuma’s 〇〇□ (Marumarushikaku) modular wooden shelf

Kengo Kuma introduces ‘〇〇□ (Marumarushikaku)’, his new modular wooden shelf with rotating plates. The project’s name reflects the actual product: the multiple-tiered wooden shelf comprises moving and circular partition plates and rectangular boards to divide the levels. Kengo Kuma uses wood from Hokkaido, manufactured in Shimokawa-cho, and Marumarushikaku, his modular wooden shelf, isn’t just an introduction to a new design. It’s a burning torch of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s legacy and design passed on to the Japanese architect.

images courtesy of More Trees

Ryuichi Sakamoto slated to design a new wooden piece

Ryuichi Sakamoto was the founder of More Trees, a design company, project and initiative aimed at making wooden products with product designers and local craftsmen using wood from local forests around Japan. The Japanese composer and pianist was slated to create and unveil a new wooden product when he suddenly passed away. Kengo Kuma, who has supported More Trees’ activities and is a long-time friend of Ryuichi Sakamoto, hopes to continue what his friend started as the new leader of the company.

Kengo Kuma continues Ryuichi Sakamoto’s design legacy with his new modular wooden shelf, Marumarushikaku

〇〇□ (Marumarushikaku) marks Kengo Kuma’s return to More Trees, following his conception of the stackable and modular triangular pieces, ‘Tsumiki’, nine years before. Always forging ahead with his wood design ethos and adopting nature into his works, Kengo Kuma constructs the modular wooden shelf with a rectangular shelf board and round pillar boards that support it. ‘We arranged the round boards randomly between the shelves, making the front and back of the shelf vague, creating a design that would look chic no matter where it was placed in the room. It expresses the freedom hidden in the forest,’ says the architect.

Kengo Kuma’s modular wooden shelf, Marumarushikaku, follows the intended unveiling of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s pieces

Because of the rotating plates and the multi-leveled tier of the modular wooden shelf, owners can play around with it and style it the way they want. They can use it to place their pots and plants or stack as many books as they can. They can swing the movable plates to make way for more room or let them be open and airy so visitors can toy with them whenever they wish. The light wood’s color helps brighten up a space and lend it with a fleeting feeling.

Kengo Kuma’s Marumarushikaku is set to be unveiled on the day of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s passing

Kengo Kuma pays tribute to ryuichi sakamoto

Kengo Kuma’s latest creation, 〇〇□ (Marumarushikaku), is set to be unveiled for the first time at Ace Hotel Kyoto, an accommodation he designed himself, in collaboration with More Trees × Pearl+. It falls on the day of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s passing, and the event serves as a rightful tribute to the Japanese composer and artist too. Visitors to the hotel can see the new modular wooden shelf stacked up to eight levels high at the lobby from March 28th to April 14th, 2024. Here, 〇〇□ (Marumarushikaku) becomes a bookshelf, complete with books by Kengo Kuma, Pearl+ founder John C. Jay, and former professors that visitors can freely browse. For those who want to attend, Kengo Kuma will also host a talk on April 6th in the hotel’s lobby gallery (more information here).

the multiple-tiered wooden shelf comprises moving and circular partition plates and rectangular boards