Charcoal facade

Referencing Nen’s charbroiled menu, the architects have covered the exterior in 3,000 pieces of hung charcoal made from Ubame oak. The intricate façade is suspended via rope that enables the charcoal to sway and produce sound in an eerie symphony. Inside, the architects have opted for a cross-cut sawtooth oak charcoal that resembles the chrysanthemum flower, suspended from the ceiling and illuminated in red light. Nen bridges a gap between traditional materials and contemporary design. ‘The charcoal pieces are placed between a one-way mirror and a fully reflective mirror, creating a series of smaller and smaller reflections of the beautiful cross-cut charcoal infinitely,’ says Supermaniac.

The Big Picture: Designers are starting new conversations and questioning the value of materials. Find out more about how designers are crafting beauty products, tools and architecture from raw, waste materials in our Anti-Materials design direction.