Tokyo – Shopping centres can be stressful at the best of times and for those who need a quick cigarette, designers at Hiroyuki Ogawa have created a smoking room for the modern retail environment.
Created for the Grand
Tree Musashikosugi shopping centre, the design is a far cry
from the dreaded smokers’ prisons found in international airports around the
world. A sealed glass exterior shows passers-by into a warmly lit space
that marries homely materials of tile, wood and acrylic. The smoking room
is extremely effective in ensuring that smoke is removed as quickly as possible
via a combination of fans and clever design features. ‘Firstly, by adding
the curved wall we induce the smoke to the exhaust outlet on the ceiling,’ says
the design team, comprising Ogawa and architect Erika Okamoto. ‘Secondly, by
setting up a fan between the ashtray and the exhaust outlet, the second-hand
smoke and smoke from people’s mouths are quickly drawn away.’
The Big Picture: With
this kind of space there are opportunities for brands to benefit from the Conviviality Culture
engendered by shared experience.