X.me becomes Sasebo

Kingdom of Wellness, Nagasaki, Japan

Connectivity and osmosis: these are the key words of the Sasebo project, the Japanese adaptation of the X.me paradigm, designed by LAPS Architecture for MYOP. We are in the Nagasaki prefecture, within the evocative theme park Huis Ten Bosch in Sasebo, from which takes name the project of the Italian – French studio (LAPS) directed by Salvator-John A. Liotta and Fabienne Louyot. It is a work realised in the first concept store of KoW – Kingdom of Wellness, a Japanese brand specialised in natural supplements. Sasebo is a frame that locks up empty spaces, it frees the gaze, it moves as a body around the void spaces, it creates new ones. Sasebo is a membrane, an organic wall, cellular, in harmony with the environment of the area dedicated to the wellness of KoW. The modular multifunctional system is composed of forex panels cut with CNC machines and assembled afterwards by joints made of extruded aluminum, integrated with shelves and partition walls. The rhizomatous and not hierarchical symbiosis between present and past, between new structures and contemporary architectures, invites to freely move into space, to savour it. The concept store facade adapts itself to the neo-classic columns outlines looking for a dialogue with the capitals of pilasters; the bio-restaurant counter and tables are defined by a double arch born from the synthesis and the union of three stylised foliage.