Designers and thinkers Enzo Mari and Victor Papanek were already interested in building furniture themselves to make the world a little better. Japanese architect Keiji Ashizawa took the idea a little further: when an earthquake destroyed parts of Japan eleven years ago, he helped residents to rebuild their cities with home-made furniture. The designs of the "Ishinomaki Lab" are now also made in Germany - by hand from local wood.

Text: Florian Siebeck

A few days after a magnitude 9.1 earthquake triggered a tidal wave that devastated north-eastern Japan, Tokyo-based architect Keiji Ashizawa traveled to the coastal town of Ishinomaki. He was there to inspect the damage to a restaurant he had designed for a client a year earlier. "Everything was missing," says Ashizawa. "Some people only had tatami mats for doors." Because carpenters were rare, many people helped themselves. When Ashizawa met a store owner who was repairing his shop, he had an idea. He fitted out an empty store with some tools and obtained large planks of so-called Western Red Cedar, a light but robust type of wood. "I realized that people needed to make, repair and modify things themselves in order to rebuild their town." Creating something with their own hands would also help them deal with the trauma they were going through.

It wasn't long before the first people came to the Ishinomaki Lab to learn how to build furniture. Ashizawa developed elegant, practical designs that could be made from standard pieces of wood with simple tools and little experience. Stools and benches, for example, which could be quickly integrated into communal spaces. The initiative was supported by the American furniture manufacturer Herman Miller. Over time, more and more established architects and designers became involved, adapting their designs to the existing materials, tools and production processes - while at the same time ensuring that as little waste as possible was left behind during production. Shelves, chairs, tables, gym benches or bird baths, where robustness and stability were paramount.

Ten years later, the self-help project has become a respected furniture brand. Although the products are no longer quite as raw as they were in the early days, they have remained true to the basic design philosophy and material language: the designs are functional but well thought out. Simple, but charming. Low-tech instead of high-tech. The pieces fit just as well in private homes as they do in public spaces. The designs are still produced in Ishinomaki today. But not only there: with the help of the "Made in Local" initiative, the "Ishinomaki Lab" shares its expertise with partners all over the world. A movement that promotes local craftsmanship. For example, the AA Stool, designed by Torafu Architects, is manufactured in Germany by HLZFR (see box). With its exposed screws, natural wood and handcrafted look, the stool, which was named after the shape of its profile, shows how beautifully simple things can be.

AA STOOL
Ishinomaki Lab furniture is manufactured exclusively for Germany and Austria by HLZFR (pronounced: Holzfreunde) in Berlin, and HLZFR also sells it in other EU countries and Switzerland, including the AA Stool by Torafu Architects. The construction of the stool is the same as in Japan (screwed solid wood), but wood from Bavarian forests is used: "Even though it is slightly heavier and more robust, Douglas fir comes closest to the original," says HLZFR founder Torben Schomaker. The wood is treated with a soap finish and develops a beautiful patina over time. "The AA Stool exudes a certain rawness and coarseness, but is also very flexible. That's what makes it so interesting for me." This is because the AA Stool is also suitable for outdoor use and can be exposed to the elements from time to time. The almost indestructible stool comes in different sizes and is normally used as a pair, as a stool or side table. With a top, the AA Stool can also be converted into a table.

About HLZFR
HLZFR. GmbH was founded in Berlin in 2007 as "Gesellschaft der Holzfreunde" by Torben Schomaker and Jan Stauf. The company employs architects, engineers, carpenters and joiners who are not only active in the field of building construction (e.g. building houses), but also produce custom-made fixtures (Berliner Kueche factory series) or manufacture furniture - mainly in wood.

Pictures: @ishinomakilab on Instagram; HLZFR. Ltd.