Architects:FATHOM

Area:57 m²

Year:2023

Photographs:Tatsuya Tabii

Design: Hiroyuki Nakamoto, Naoki Itaya

Direction: Kentarou Hayashi

Steelworks: KAMO CRAFT, Susumu Murata

Logo Design: Hanae Yamamoto

City: Marugame

Country: Japan

A cafe and flower store complex run by a farmer who produces mums (Western chrysanthemums) in Marugame City, Kagawa Prefecture. Mums are characterized by their straight stems and blooming flowers, and there are as many as 400 varieties. In Japan, chrysanthemums are often associated with weddings and funerals, but the farmer hopes to spread the various kinds of beauty that come from the dignified stems to people's daily lives through food.

By controlling the environment in the plastic greenhouses built in a row on a vast site, the speed of growth in each greenhouse varies, making it possible to harvest mums all year round. The sight of the beautifully aligned vertical stalks, intentionally controlled at a certain height, in uniform rows, was breathtaking, and the sight of the stalks divided into several different heights before flowering in each greenhouse was very memorable. I hope that the daily life of growing flowers will naturally blend into the daily life of visitors by expressing the beauty of a single point that dwells there, supported by the dignified appearance, in a space that does not spoil the functionality of the farm and its surroundings. We hope that the daily life of growing flowers will naturally blend in with visitors.

Detail: The landscape of a series of plastic greenhouses and water tanks, built solely for their function, overlaps with the dignified vertical mums with their stems growing in a straight line. The steel-framed warehouse, which is the subject of renovation, also contributes to the beauty of the landscape.

In order not to spoil the functional beauty of the entire farm, the exterior and interior of the warehouse were left untouched, so that it could function as a new storefront. In order to highlight the flowers, which are the main attraction, the architecture also incorporates the concept of a vast expanse of earth stretching horizontally and stems growing vertically.

The square space was divided into two sections along the existing large opening, zoning the store and the café.

The kitchen, seating area, and other functions are contained within the warehouse as a single volume as if it were an in-shop so that the store functions are not attached to the existing warehouse.

In front of the large opening, a large store counter was built in the shape of a rise from the ground so that visitors would first feel the earth, which is also the name of the store. This shape represents my inspiration from the line of the foot of Mount Iino, Sanuki Fuji. The paving material used for the road was used uniformly from the floor to the waist and the top of the counter to maintain the delicate texture and the necessary strength for both the ground and the function of the counter.

While the entire space was designed with an awareness of the horizontal direction, the stem shape of the cylinder was expressed in various line lengths and materials, including the edges of the exterior benches, the handrail at the entrance, the original lighting made from fluorescent bulbs, and the acrylic showcase for the sweets.

The café seating is located on the working side of the farm, and after removing the existing sashes, a large glass opening was made to reflect the daily life of the farm in the café as a landscape. The table itself is a vase, which reflects the daily life of the farm.