项目名称：BIRKENSTOCK 京都店

地点：京都市河原町，日本

设计团队：TORAFU ARCHITECTS

建筑面积：98.18 m²

竣工时间：2025年3月

摄影：ANO DAICI

设计特色：

项目 - BIRKENSTOCK京都店是德国鞋履品牌BIRKENSTOCK在日本京都的一家精心设计的快闪店，由TORAFU ARCHITECTS打造的空间巧妙地平衡了历史背景与当代零售体验。

位于京都河原町区繁华的四条街，这个为期一年的临时店铺占据了一座传统的町家建筑，具有典型的"鳗鱼之床"（unagi no nedoko）布局——宽度仅3.8米，但深度延伸至24米。这一极具挑战性的格局被转化为一段空间旅程，既致敬BIRKENSTOCK 251年的品牌传统，又彰显京都的文化重要性。

入口在繁忙的街道上以门户般的立面大胆宣示自己的存在，特色招牌面板和LED霓虹灯管上都使用了品牌标志性的蓝色。这种对传统日本"门"的当代诠释，创造了引人注目的视觉存在感，同时尊重周围的历史街景。

进入店内，访客将体验到双层高的天花板，增强了狭长场地的空间质感。TORAFU的设计巧妙地拥抱新旧之间的张力，裸露的结构元素与精心放置的绿植和现代霓虹标识形成对比。

或许最具创意的是建筑师对地面的处理，他们保留了拆除地板后留下的原始粘合痕迹，并将其重新构想为枯山水（干式景观花园）图案。这种创造性的再利用指引了由最少加工的原木切段制成的展示岛的摆放，这些展示岛同时可作为座椅使用。

空间体验在宁静的"内庭"空间中达到高潮，那里有原始软木墙面——呼应BIRKENSTOCK的鞋垫材料——和一个麂皮表面的柜台。在这里，带有纤细蓝色腿的实木长凳悬浮在地面之上，体现了品牌对工艺的承诺，同时创造了一个休憩时刻。

通过精心的材料选择、周到的空间序列安排以及对传统和创新的尊重，TORAFU ARCHITECTS创造了一个零售环境，让人感觉同时扎根于当地又面向未来——完美捕捉了当代京都文化的精髓。

团队 - TORAFU ARCHITECTS由铃野浩一和秃真哉于2004年创立，已确立为一家多学科设计实践，其工作超越了传统建筑界限。总部位于东京，该事务所将建筑思维应用于多样化的作品组合，涵盖建筑、室内设计、展览策划、产品设计、空间装置和多媒体制作。

工作室的联合创始人拥有互补的教育背景：铃野毕业于东京理科大学并在横滨国立大学完成硕士学位，而秃真哉则就读于明治大学。他们在知名实践中的专业经验——铃野在Coelacanth K&H和墨尔本的Kerstin Thompson Architects工作，秃真哉在青木淳建筑事务所工作——形成了他们独特的设计方法。

TORAFU的获奖项目包括"CLASKA的模板"、"NIKE 1LOVE"、"港北住宅"和"Air Vase"——后者于2015年被蒙特利尔美术馆永久收藏。他们为佳能在2011年米兰家具展上创作的"光之织机"装置获得了享有盛誉的ELITA设计奖最佳展览奖。

该事务所一直获得国际认可，包括多个优良设计奖、iF设计奖、亚洲设计奖以及其创新工作的红点"最佳中的最佳"奖。他们的建筑理念强调空间实验、材料敏感性和环境适应性，创造出将功能与意想不到的愉悦时刻融为一体的环境。

他们出版的专著，包括"TORAFU ARCHITECTS 2004-2011: Ideas and Process"和"TORAFU ARCHITECTS: Inside Out"（TOTO出版社，2016年），记录了他们对当代日本设计话语的重要贡献。

Project Name: BIRKENSTOCK KYOTO

Location: Kawaramachi, Kyoto, Japan

Design Team: TORAFU ARCHITECTS

Total Floor Area: 98.18 m²

Completion: March 2025

Photography: DAICI ANO

Feature:

Project - BIRKENSTOCK KYOTO is a thoughtfully designed pop-up store for German footwear brand BIRKENSTOCK in Kyoto, Japan, creating a space that masterfully balances historical context with contemporary retail experience.

Located on the bustling Shijo Street in Kyoto's Kawaramachi district, the temporary one-year installation occupies a traditional machiya townhouse with the characteristic "unagi no nedoko" (eel's bed) layout—narrow at just 3.8 meters wide but extending 24 meters deep. This challenging footprint has been transformed into a spatial journey that honors both BIRKENSTOCK's 251-year heritage and Kyoto's cultural significance.

The entrance announces itself boldly on the busy street with a gateway-like façade featuring the brand's signature blue on both signage panels and LED neon tubing. This contemporary interpretation of a traditional Japanese "mon" (gate) creates a striking visual presence while respecting the surrounding historical streetscape.

Upon entering, visitors experience an airy double-height ceiling that enhances the spatial quality of the slender site. Torafu's design brilliantly embraces the tension between old and new, with exposed structural elements contrasting against carefully placed greenery and modern neon signage.

Perhaps most ingenious is the architects' treatment of the floor, where original adhesive marks from removed flooring were preserved and reimagined as a karesansui (dry landscape garden) pattern. This creative repurposing guides the placement of display islands created from minimally processed log sections that double as seating.

The journey culminates in a tranquil "inner garden" space featuring virgin cork walls—a nod to BIRKENSTOCK's footbed material—and a suede-topped counter. Here, solid wood benches with slender blue legs hover above the floor, embodying the brand's commitment to craftsmanship while creating a moment of respite.

Through careful material selection, thoughtful spatial sequencing, and a reverence for both tradition and innovation, Torafu Architects has created a retail environment that feels simultaneously rooted in place and forward-looking—perfectly capturing the essence of contemporary Kyoto culture.

Design Team - Founded in 2004 by Koichi Suzuno and Shinya Kamuro, TORAFU ARCHITECTS has established itself as a multidisciplinary design practice whose work transcends conventional architectural boundaries. Based in Tokyo, the firm applies architectural thinking to a diverse portfolio spanning architecture, interior design, exhibition planning, product design, spatial installations, and multimedia productions.

The studio's co-founders bring complementary educational backgrounds: Suzuno graduated from Tokyo University of Science and completed his master's at Yokohama National University, while Kamuro studied at Meiji University. Their professional experience with renowned practices—Suzuno with Coelacanth K&H and Kerstin Thompson Architects in Melbourne, and Kamuro with Jun Aoki & Associates—informed their distinctive design approach.

TORAFU's award-winning projects include "Template in CLASKA," "NIKE 1LOVE," "Kohoku Residence," and "Air Vase"—the latter added to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts' permanent collection in 2015. Their "Loom of Light" installation for Canon at Milano Salone 2011 earned the prestigious ELITA Design Award for Best Exhibition.

The firm has consistently garnered international recognition, including multiple Good Design Awards, iF Design Awards, Asia Design Prize, and the Red Dot "Best of the Best" for their innovative work. Their architectural philosophy emphasizes spatial experimentation, material sensitivity, and contextual adaptation, resulting in environments that blend functionality with unexpected moments of delight.

Their published monographs, including "TORAFU ARCHITECTS 2004-2011: Ideas and Process" and "TORAFU ARCHITECTS: Inside Out" (TOTO Publishing, 2016), document their significant contributions to contemporary Japanese design discourse.