nendo designed the Sake Master cellar for Monozukuri NIPPON project with Hidetoshi Nakata

The multidisciplinary studio nendo designed an amazing sake cellar for Monozukuri NIPPON, a joint project of e-Shigoto, a manufacturing recruitment website run by Nikken Total Sourcing, and Hidetoshi Nakata´s ReVALUE NIPPON, which aims to rediscover Japan´s culture and share the beauty of its craftsmanship worldwide.

For the purpose of long-term storage through the appropriate control of the temperature, and the pleasure of experiencing the variation of flavors through a detailed setting of the temperature, there are 3 refrigeration compartments that can deliver between -5°C〜15°C and allows for storage of 36 of the 4-go-sized (about 720 ml) bottles, and 16 of the 1-sho-sized (about 1800 ml) bottles.

Antibacterial sheets are adhered to the inner wall of the refrigerator to address hygiene after opening the sake.

In order to minimize the oxidation of sake through UV protection, we came up with an exterior design with gradient apertures punched out on mirror finish stainless steel plates. Also, the inside and the edges of the apertures are finished in matte black.

“Namako Walls (traditional Japanese tiled walls)” were used as motifs to conjure images of the outer walls of sake breweries. The usage of the apertures as handles for opening and closing and making them function as intake or exhaust ports that removes heat efficiently, produced an appearance that is aesthetically pleasing from all angles and looks as though “a back surface does not exist”.

A motion sensor was installed inside the door so that the LED inside the refrigeration units will light up with the wave of the hand even when the doors are closed. As well as providing an illumination effect, it enables one to see inside the refrigeration compartments and stabilize the temperature inside.

The temperature of the three compartments can be set using a touch screen, and the interface was kept simple in white and black to match the matte black finishes of the interior, resulting in a design that gives the impression that the koji fungus of sake is energetically moving around.

Also with the storage of wine in mind, a function was added to maintain the refrigerated compartments in high humidity which helps prevent the cork from drying out, together with the creation of dedicated wine racks that allow wine storage with bottles in the horizontal position.

Source: Nendo

Photos by Hiroshi Iwasaki

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