kosuke araki and akira muraoka reevaluate wood for milan design week

sumitomo forestry co, ltd presented ‘reevaluating wood – research into the benefits wood brings’ during milan design week 2019 at superstudio piu. the company’s debut installation at the milan design week introduced their research into wood, in collaboration with designers kosuke araki and akira muraoka.

installation view from the entrance / © michel giesbrecht

with over 300 years of experience, sumitomo forestry group has engaged in global businesses including forest management, manufacturing and distribution of timber/building materials. it has also focused on housing construction and environmental energy. now, the group is shifting into more research and reevaluating wood from various perspectives, aiming to develop new technologies. their goal is to accumulate enough knowledge to build a 350m tall wooden high-rise.

installation view from the exit / © michel giesbrecht

araki and muraoka were commissioned as creative directors to design an exhibition that communicated the group’s research activities. they decided to focus on seven space-related benefits of wood, creating a space made of wooden canopies and desktop partitions to encourage visitors to explore the benefits of wood in a welcoming atmosphere.

© michel giesbrecht

each of the wood’s benefits has been displayed in a sentence on the wall. sentences include ‘wood helps us to relax and increase our concentration’, and ‘wood facilitates memory recall’. both canopies and partitions are made with the intention of creating a personal space within a bigger open area, without drawing a clear boundary between others. they were also meant to enable wooden elements to be inserted in any kind of space in a subtle way.

© michel giesbrecht

© michel giesbrecht

© michel giesbrecht

© michel giesbrecht

© michel giesbrecht

© michel giesbrecht

© michel giesbrecht

exterior of the space / © michel giesbrecht

the designers – kosuke araki (left) and akira muraoka (right)