AA Hanger

Established in 2004 by Koichi Suzuno and Shinya Kamuro, their wide-ranging activities include architectural design, interior design, exhibition venue design, product design, spatial installations, and participation in movie production, all based on architectural thinking. Major works include "Template in Claska", "NIKE 1LOVE", "Housing in Kohoku", "Airvase", "Gulliver Table", "Big T", etc. "The Loom of Light (Canon Milano Salone 2011)" was selected as the best exhibit of the Elita Design Award. In 2015, "Airvase" was certified as a permanent collection at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. 2011 Book of Air Vessels, TORAFU ARCHITECTS 2004-2011 Ideas and Processes of TORAFU ARCHITECTS (both published by Bijutsu Shuppansha), 2012 picture book TORAFU Small City Planning (Heibonsha), In 2016, Torafu published Torafu Architects Inside Out (TOTO Publishing).

Founded in 2011, Ishinomaki Laboratory started as a simple, public workshop for the local community devastated by the tsunami triggered by the Great East Japan Earthquake. Along with running DIY workshops for residents affected by the disaster, we participated in restoring and renovating local shops – as well as creating spaces where people could reimagine the future of the city together. One of the highlights from the early days was working together with local high school students to build over 40 benches for an outdoor cinema. In the fall of 2011, Herman Miller joined the assistance program in areas affected by the earthquake and collaborated with Ishinomaki Laboratory to run furniture workshops for locals, with the furniture constructed offered free of charge. These design-centred workshops, where DIY skills and ideas are shared, are still being run to this day. Combining good design with “handmade” products, the Ishinomaki Laboratory label was launched to market the products beyond the local community. Talented designers from Japan and abroad work with the Ishinomaki Laboratory team to create a lineup of furniture and items that can be enjoyed together. As the world’s first DIY label, Ishinomaki Laboratory is expanding the world and potential of DIY with good design. Through our activities, the belief is that DIY and design can energise people and communities – and life as a whole – in any situation or environment. Our hope is that people around the world can rediscover their own innate creativity, to enrich everyday life and society for a more fulfilling future.