Signage design for Shirahige, a special nursing home for the elderly recently built in Sumida-ku, Tokyo. Assuming that residents spend most of their time indoors, we aimed to design signage that creates a connection between people, as well as the inside and the outside.
The facility was built on the site of the former Shirahige Station of the Keisei Line. The logo mark of the facility, therefore, was designed to recall the station name sign and express the history of the site.
The signage on the door of each room integrates a room number plate and a photo frame. It encourages communication not only between residents but also between residents and staff.
The entire floor of the facility is composed of diagonal lines created by different types of flooring sheets. The diagonal lines point to landmarks nearby, such as Tokyo Skytree and Teishakuten, and at the end of each line, there is a symbol of the landmark. In addition, the floor surface separated by the straight lines is brighter in areas closer to the window to emphasize the presence of light outside. The idea is to create a space where the residents can feel connected to the outside world.
The symbol of the Sumida River.
The symbol of the Shibamata Taishakuten. It is the birthplace of Tora-san, the main character of a famous Japanese movie. The hat is his trademark.
The symbol of the Mt.Tsukuba.
The symbol of the Tokyo Skytree. It is the tallest tower in Japan.
The symbol of the Ryogoku Kokugikan. It's a sumo wrestling arena.
The symbol of the Narita Airport.
Since the flow lines of users are not complicated, we made a simple map by expressing the lines.
The signage at the entrance of the unit uses Japanese addressing plates to create an outdoor atmosphere.
Architect: AIDAHO
Signage : Arata Takemoto Design Office
Photo: Tomooki Kengaku
