The enjoyment and appreciation of aging. Kotaro Ide, A.R.Technique Architects and Associates

 

 

 

 

Enjoying and appreciating the changes that come with age.
Artechnic Architects Office
Mr. Kotaro Ide
https://www.artechnic.jp/---

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Sato: It's been a long time. Has it been over 10 years since this place was completed?

Ide (honorifics omitted hereafter): It has been a long time. Yes, it was 2012, so it's been a little over 12 years.

Sato: I come to this area occasionally, and this place has become a landmark, or a regional landmark, hasn't it?

Ide: It's nice to hear you say that.

Sato: Even after 12 years, the design still feels very cutting-edge, but in a good way, some parts have developed a nice character. When something is made with proper materials, it doesn't really deteriorate with age; instead, it develops a kind of "flavor," doesn't it?

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Ide: Yes. When I work, the most important thing for me is to create something that allows you to enjoy, or rather, appreciate the changes that come with age. For example, this sofa was something I used for a long time in my previous home, and I can still use it normally today, and above all, it's very comfortable.

Sato: It's not about being plastic-free, but when you use genuine materials like stone, wood, leather, and also metals like ZACK, they truly develop character the more you use them, don't they? Ide: ZACK's designs are so simple and yet so easy to use, aren't they? I really liked the towel clips I used in the shower room so much that I've bought about 20 of them from an online shop.

Sato: What! Which online shop?

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Ide: Oh, from B-SIGN. Sato: What! Artechnic? Is that your personal name? Sorry, I haven't been able to properly check every order detail recently. Was it for a collective housing project? Ide: No, it's for here. They're actually quite versatile and can be used in many places. I have a camper van as a hobby, and I use several of them inside the car too.

Sato: So, since you bought them online, you paid the regular online retail price, right? If you had just given us a call for 20 pieces, we would have given you a quote. (laughs)

Ide: Also, ZACK products are really well made, aren't they? Very sturdy. The ZACK towel rail and toilet roll holder I installed when this place was built haven't broken at all, and I've always thought that genuine products like these are truly good. The soap dispenser I use in the office restroom on the first floor is used quite frequently because we have visitors, but that's also working perfectly fine.

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Sato: The ZACK dispenser's inner pump part is made of plastic, so it is indeed a consumable item. In hotels, while the ones in guest rooms may not be an issue, those in ground-floor restrooms, for example, experience an astronomically higher number of pushes, so problems can arise depending on frequency and years of use. That's why ZACK dispenser pumps are available as spare parts. Although the main body of that particular model has been discontinued, the pump parts are still in stock. We also keep a certain amount of stock in Japan. Ide: Oh, really? Maybe I should buy a few now. Sato: That dispenser sold quite a lot, so I think there should still be plenty of spare parts in stock.

Ide: That's reassuring to know. 

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