nendo transforms fishing vessel with graphic patterning to recall life ashore

nendo presents the interior and exterior transformation of a japanese fishing vessel, the pelagic tuna longliner shofukumaru. operated by usufuku honten in kesennuma city, a city in the tohoku region, the ship is transformed with the aim of relieving the stress of its crew. to catch bigeye and bluefin tuna, the crew dedicates a month of hard labor at sea, where mental and physical stress results in a turnover rate exceeding 50 percent among its younger crew. to introduce an element of comfort, the design team employs a linearity reminiscent of life ashore.

for the exterior design of the tuna longliner, nendo makes use of graphic linear patterning to accentuate the inherent beauty of the ship’s form and the hull’s curvature. usufuku’s trademark, consisting of a chigai-yama, hoshi, ichi — mountains, star, one — was deconstructed, and reconstructed into a quintessentially japanese graphic pattern. the pattern is repeated in various forms, including the onboard flooring, to unite the interior with the exterior. toward the ship’s interior, nendo continues this application of graphic patterning. 

the design of nendo’s tuna longliner fishing vessel is driven by the notion that humans are not inherently accustomed to spending long periods of time at sea. the graphic patterning recalls the linearity of a life on shore, seen with the straight lines of buildings, windows, doors, and smartphone and tv screens. striped joints and rectilinear openings were employed while maintaining curved surfaces in necessary locations to ensure safety, and indirect lighting that provides a sense of serenity and security also falls in straight lines.

the team at nendo further aims to develop a visual unevenness within the fishing vessel interior. environments focused on functionality — like hospital interiors — tend to be homogenous spaces, in which at times causes psychological stress for users. to avoid this, patterns, stripes, and materials are scattered at random and in moderation, to create spaces with different characters. the last accentuating element of nendo’s design is massiveness. to distract occupants from the constant floating state, the team introduces thick, heavy furniture elements. with the three keywords — straight lines, unevenness, and massiveness — the design focuses on incorporating the sense of security on solid ground.