Ishinomaki Laboratory

An Experiment in DIY and Design
Keiji Ashizawa, Naoki Terada, Karen Orton, Takahiro Chiba, Rebekah Cheng, Joël Vacheron, Hiroshi Kato

Ishinomaki Laboratory was born in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. Initiated by the architect Keiji Ashizawa, it was originally thought as a community workshop intended to assist residents affected by the disaster rebuilding furniture from the materials at hand. Along with running DIY workshops, Ishinomaki Laboratory also participated in restoring local shops and the relevance and appeal of these well-designed yet low-tech products quickly resonated with people around the world. 

Today, Ishinomaki Laboratory has established itself as a prominent figure in contemporary design, some pieces being considered as classics of contemporary Japanese design. This book marks 10 years of prolific activities, providing an insight into the history of the brand, the products and many collaborations with established designers  and partners worldwide that are giving shape to this ongoing experiment. Above all, it provides a tangible demonstration of possible solutions for rethinking furniture design from environmental imperatives.   

With Contributions of 
Yusuke Hayashi, Emily Ho, Wilson Lee, Taiji Fujimori, Tomoko Azumi, Koichi Suzuno, Ayse Birsel, Sheridan Coakley, Torben Schomaker, Nick Tobier, Aditya Somway, Bram Rouws.