fathom finishes miyanishi yakeyama hair salon in japan with wall of greenery + copper pipes

fathom has based the design of the miyanishi yakeyama hair salon in the japanese city of kure, on laputa, the flying island in castle in the sky, a japanese animated steampunk fantasy-adventure film written and directed by hayao miyazaki. focusing on goliath, an airship that appears in the story, the architects have created a three-dimensional translation of the two-dimensional reference within the space. the entire store captures the aesthetics of the airship as a motif, devising a new pattern based on the camouflage pattern of the airship’s exterior and incorporating it into the interior.all images by tatsuya tabi 

upon the client’s request, fathom translated a moment in the film, castle in the sky, into a three-dimensional hair salon that nonetheless is characterized by elegant, sleek aesthetics. a new pattern, which was created based on the camouflage motif on goliath‘s exterior, has been mainly used in the partitions between the different salon stations. finished either in a white hue or a mirror surface, the pattern reflects the greenery within the store, while the scenery that can be seen through the cut-out parts gives a sense of floating, as if looking through clouds.

the salon’s entrance and back garden have been filled with copper pipes and greenery, parts of which have been eroded to recreate the aesthetics of castle in the sky’s laputa. copper has also been used in the ceiling of the waiting area, where the scenery on the ground is projected through a copper-colored filter on the ceiling, creating a nostalgic and floating feeling at the same time. the operational feeling of the airship was expressed by suspending three propellers from the store’s ceiling.

project info:

name: miyanishi yakeyama

architect: fathom

location: yakiyama konoharamachi, kure city, hiroshima prefecture, japan