Aqua × Ignis
Commercial complex themed on food and health
2012@Komono, Mie Prefecture
The former Kataoka Hot Spring, the predecessor of AQUAIGNIS, was situated at the base of Yunoyama hot spring village in Mie Prefecture and cherished by hikers and local people as an unadorned day-trip spa. The relocation became an opportunity for its rebirth as part of a complex that integrates food-related facilities. My role was to comprehensively review and redesign the concept, facility structure, landscape, and interior on the basis of an already determined framework.
The focus of formulating the concept was how to connect the presence of renowned pâtissiers and chefs that garner headlines with one-day hot spring experiences enjoyed as part of daily life like a public bath. At the same time, I felt the need to establish a scalable frame that would bolster the diverse services envisioned. The name of the facility, AQUAIGNIS (“fire and water”), was conceived in the process of working out a solution to that challenge.
Garden of Fire and Water
The Garden of Fire and Water is an outdoor space that comprises the Annex, a restaurant complex, Strawberry Greenhouse, and Valentine Gate. AQUAIGNIS is coined from the words “aqua” (water) and “ignis” (fire). It abstracts the images derived from different content, including foods grown with underground water and rainwater, geothermal hot spring water, and sunlight, or men and women. The Garden of Fire and Water is positioned to spatially bring together the groups of content.
