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BAKE CHEESE TART Kagoshima

Takasu Gaku Design and Associates

SAVE SUBMISSION
Bronze

1 / 6

Comments
Innovation
Functionality
Creativity
Eco-Social Impact
Total
JURY VOTES
Single-Brand Store
6.23
6.08
6.69
5.46
6.12
Client
BAKE
Floor area
22.22 ㎡
Completion
2020
Photographer
Yasuhiro Takagi


This is the design of the newest store from Bake Cheese Tart, a cheese tart specialty store that opens throughout Japan. Due to the simple business model of selling only cheese tarts, the store may look desolated. To prevent this, we are trying several methods to style the store, make the products look delicious and attractive, and attract customers. The new store was completed in Kagoshima Prefecture, the southernmost prefecture in Japan. Kagoshima Prefecture has two major geographic features. The first being the unique horseshoe-shaped landform that surrounds Kinko Bay, a bay in the center of the prefecture. The second is Japan’s iconic active volcano that continues to erupt even today—Sakurajima. The shape of the façade design is inspired by these two impactful and yet status-symbolizing geographic features of the people living in the prefecture. The exterior is designed with a curved wall, made of mortar at the top and glass at the bottom, that arcs gently along the distorted tenant boundary. The boundary line between the glass and mortar rises gradually at an angle like a mountain ridge, following the line of flow of people. The glass is designed into small details to keep it as inconspicuous as possible because it is necessary for hygiene purposes and infection prevention, and not the psychological distance between employees and customers. The border between mortar and glass is designed so that the frames cannot be seen at all and the mortar and glass look like they are on the same surface, seamlessly connected. By eliminating the presence of glass as much as possible, the design eliminates the psychological oppressiveness in the customers and makes only the slanted mortar wall visible. The tart is supported by white steel legs that look like branches, based on a motif of trees growing in random directions, and the layout is designed so that it appears to be floating in the air. Furthermore, by exposing the floor, the interior of the store looks clean. In the simple gray appearance of the mortar, the tart and the brand’s yellow color are the only bright colors, creating a stylish and impactful space that is designed to leave a lasting impression in customers.