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Waterscape / Memory of Spring

The following renovation project aimed to transform a botanical garden into a museum of craft works. Deliverables included a multi-purpose space with a kitchen, a dining space, and a stage for special exhibitions and performances, such as concerts and plays.
In order to enable a variety of activities, we built at the center of the space an octagonal amphitheater with a transparent resin floor to form a spring filled with the profound serenity and mystery surrounding water while acknowledging the memory of the natural spring that would well up in this place around the roots of a large banyan tree, a tree emblematic of the botanical garden, as well as the waters of Lake Ashi, Hakone's main sightseeing spot.

Like the surface of a lake that mirrors the evolving landscape, the changes in natural light throughout the day and the seasonal variations in the color of the trees all come together in a signature gradation that spreads across the entire floor surface like a wave of color filled with lively movement.
By spreading the image of water with colors, such as the light blue and purple applied to the columns and beams of the dome walls, and with polygonal ornaments representing the sparkle of water and the energy of trees mounted on the brown walls of the kitchen booth, we sought to create a waterscape ushered by the memory of the spring.

Photos by Takumi Ota
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