KOTOBUKI SEATING GROUP
Renewal Experience
Project Cabaret Crazy Horse Paris, France H&K / Victor Point – courtesy Crazy Horse Paris
Renovation 2021
KOTOBUKI SEATING GROUP
Experience in restoration Kotobuki installed the first telescopic platforms in Japan in the early 1950s. These were moving elements incorporating seats that, by means of folding mechanisms, folded, and unfolded on the platforms. As these installations were in constant movement, good maintenance was necessary to guarantee their correct functioning, safety, and as the best formula for extending the useful life of the installation. This need was transformed into a philosophy, and as such, the company promoted it among its customers, providing them with departments and specific personnel to carry out this work. Although it is true that maintenance is the best option to extend the useful life of the installations, it is also true that there comes a time when it is insufficient. This is the moment when the customer considers exchanging the products for new ones. From maintenance we moved on to the possibility of renovating and restoring the installations, since Kotobuki considered that there were many products that could have a second life if they were restored. This led us to start a path that we continue to follow today, and that has led us to be one of the companies that has carried out more renovations and restorations of seats and systems throughout history, and that is reflected in the large number of references that both Kotobuki and the rest of the companies of the group have in their curriculum. A path that, as was done with maintenance, was accompanied by specific departments and personnel in charge of designing and planning each of the necessary steps to carry out the renovation and restoration of an installation. A second and, why not, third life, as the best formula to reuse materials and resources and be more respectful with the environment. 1974 /1991 /2007 Quinette Gallay renovation
Project Palais des Congrès de Paris, France Construction 1974
1/5
KOTOBUKI SEATING GROUP
Fukuoka, Japan Year of construction: 1995 Year of renewal: March 2017 Seats: 1.144
Canal City Theater
The Canal City Theater in Hakata was renovated in its 22nd year of operation. It is an entertainment theater that holds various performances such as musicals, plays and rakugo (comic storytelling) in Canal City Hakata, a large shopping mall that opened in 1996. Extensive renovation work carried out 22 years after the theater opened has also involved the renovation of the auditorium, which had long been in disrepair. The new seats, made of natural wood, are designed in a style of furniture that evokes a sense of calm and luxury. The number of seats (1,144) remains the same as before the renovation. Several innovations were introduced to improve user satisfaction: The first was the seat shape. Kotobuki Seating's latest model, "Spacia," was adopted. Its shape, which narrows as it reaches the top of the seat and backrest, creates more space around the feet, making it easier not only to see, but also to get in and out of the seat. Next, the shape of the backrest. In the seats on the second floor, where the seat inclination is greater, it was thought appropriate to have an element to support the hands to support the body when going up and down the stairs in the aisle. On this occasion, in order to improve the grip, instead of installing a handrail, a natural "grabber" was created by deforming part of the wooden backrest.
Armchair 1995
Current armchair (2017)
2/5
KOTOBUKI SEATING GROUP
Tokyo, Japan Year of construction: 1923 Year of renewal: August 2018 Seats: 874
Naruse Memorial Auditorium
Naruse Memorial Auditorium was built shortly after the establishment of the Japan Women's University Auditorium, and when it was originally constructed, the exterior walls of the building were finished in brick. However, in 1923, the brick walls were severely damaged by the Great Kanto Earthquake, and repairs were unavoidable. After this, the building has been continuously repaired, and has been preserved and used ever since. In August 2018, the newly renovated auditorium was opened to commemorate the 120th anniversary of its construction. Prior to the renovation, the auditorium had 688 seats on the second floor and 407 seats on the second floor. However, the size of the seats was a bit small for the bodies of today's Japanese, so the size was also adjusted in the renovation. The original seats forced viewers to pull the board out from under the seat. With the new seats, typing is much easier, with storable tablets that can be rotated for use from under the armrests. For second-row seats and up, tablets are stored in boxes located in the back of the front row of seats and can be extended for use. As for the seats, the Spacia style was used, in which the front of the seat cushion is thinner to allow more space around users' legs. In addition, the shape allows viewers to move their feet backwards, below their center of gravity, which makes getting up much easier, and eliminates the need to hold on to the armrest for support.
Armchair before the restoration
Current armchair (2018)
3/5
KOTOBUKI SEATING GROUP
Yokohama, Japan Year of construction: 1998 Year of renewal: March 2017 Seats: 72.327
Nissan Stadium
Nissan Stadium was renovated in 2020. In the 20 years since its opening in 1998, it has served as the venue for numerous sporting and entertainment events, including the 2002 World Cup Final. Its renovation was carried out in preparation for the Rugby World Cup and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The important point of the stadium seating renovation was to carry out the construction while still using the stadium for daily events. The method adopted was to use the seat legs and connecting tubes as they were, and to renovate only the upper part of the seats. By not requiring any new anchor bolt installation process, the construction period could be shortened to less than a third of the time that a conventional method would have taken. The implemented product is a two-piece, spring-loaded stadium seat in which the backrest and seat are separate. It automatically lifts up when someone leaves the seat, and the seat folds down when vacated. The depth of the seat when unoccupied has been made more compact compared to previous seats where the seat was fixed, widening the passage space by about 10 centimeters. The depth of the seat surface has also increased. The slight concavity of the seat provides the proper seating adjustment for the user. Even with long periods of watching matches and events, it produces a comfortable seating experience.
Current seat (2017 restoration)
Seat before the renovation
Current seat (2017)
4/5
KOTOBUKI SEATING GROUP
Experience in restoration Case Studies AICHI PREFECTURAL ART THEATERFUKUOKA Aichi, Japan Year of construction: 1992 Year of renewal: April 2019 Seats: 2.480
THÉÂTRE MOGADOR Paris, France Year of construction: 1919 Year of renewal: 2007 Seats: 1.600
MACAO CULTURAL CENTER Maca, China Year of construction: 1998 Year of renewal: 2015 Seats: 1.616
ROYAL ALBERT HALL London, England Year of construction: 1861 Year of renewal: 2004 Seats: 600 (provided by Kotobuki Group)
IMPERIAL THEATER Architect: Yokogawa Tamisuke Year of construction: 1992 Year of renewal: July 2018 Seats: 1.826
THÉÂTRE DES NOUVEAUTÉS Paris, France Year of construction: 1927 Year of renewal: 2004 Seats: 549
O2 ARENA Architect: Richard Rogers (RSHP) London, England Year of construction: 1999 Year of renewal: 2007 Seats: 3.000 (provided by Kotobuki Group)
NAGOYA CITY ASSEMBLY HALL Architect: Yasuyuki ITO Nagoya City, Japan Year of construction: 1930 Year of renewal: April 2019 Seats: 1.152
5/5