The council offices belonging to Tokyo’s Hachijo Town on Hachijo-jima Island opened for business on May 7, 2013. Replacing the old town hall, which had served the community for 50 years, the new building was designed to be earthquake-resistant and convenient for the local people, constructed with multipurpose hall attached. Products by Kotobuki Seating were selected for both the assembly and multipurpose halls.
The multipurpose hall is named ‘Ojare,’ which means ‘welcome’ in the local dialect. The 1st floor seating consists of movable seats, including theater seats, which can be put into storage. Scuba diving is a popular pastime on Hachijo-jima Island and so the interior decoration of the hall is inspired by the image of an underwater cave.
The fabric used to upholster the seats presents an image of a diver’s air bubbles rising to the surface of the sea and it was developed by Kotobuki Seating’s textile designer together with the architects’ office. The image of bubbles has been woven into the fabric that was then embossed with further bubble shapes, creating a three-dimensional effect that produces subtle color changes. The color alters with the lighting to create an illusion of an underwater world.
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