Nendo’s first public space brings the fun outdoors, with stepped saucers that reference ancient Japanese tombs.
CoFuFun is the first public space designed by nendo, and takes the form of a 6,000 square meter plaza completed with cafés, meeting spaces, play areas, an events space, leisure facilities, and information kiosks. The area is located near the railway station in Tenri, a small city in the Nara prefecture of Japan, and was designed to help revitalize the community for residents and tourists alike.
Eye catching from both the ground and up above, the saucers have been arranged at four different heights, in a move that creates a visual playfulness when seen from the side, and also functions as a means of minimizing noise between the areas. This means the play space for children, the lounge and study space for reading, and the stage that can be used for concerts or public screenings can all exist in harmony with one another while still feeling private to those in the saucer at the time.
As part of the revitalization of the area, Tenri area souvenirs can be purchased at a newly designed shop in space, whose interiors and furniture were also handled by nendo.
The saucers, or ‘Kofun’, were created at a factory using large-scale precast concrete molds, before being pieced together on-site with the help of cranes. This construction method means that large spaces are formed without the use of columns or beams, while the round shapes result in well-balanced structures offering a high degree of stability, as well as an arresting visual component.
The plaza’s name, Cofufun, combines the main design reference with the colloquial Japanese expression, of fufun; a happy, unconscious humming. “The design for the plaza should offer a convivial atmosphere that unconsciously leads visitors to hum, happily, while they’re there” say the nendo design team.
INDESIGN is on instagram
Follow @indesignlive
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
Schneider Electric’s new range are making bulky outlets a thing of the past with the new UNICA X collection.
It’s widely accepted that nature – the original, most accomplished design blueprint – cannot be improved upon. But the exclusive Crypton Leather range proves that it can undoubtedly be enhanced, augmented and extended, signalling a new era of limitless organic materiality.
A longstanding partnership turns a historic city into a hub for emerging talent
How can design empower the individual in a workplace transforming from a place to an activity? Here, Design Director Joel Sampson reveals how prioritising human needs – including agency, privacy, pause and connection – and leveraging responsive spatial solutions like the Herman Miller Bay Work Pod is key to crafting engaging and radically inclusive hybrid environments.
In the artfully designed modernist workshop in the back garden of his home in inner-suburban Adelaide, Frank Bauer – internationally recognised jeweller, industrial designer, light artist and kinetic sculptor – works in a colourful world all of his own making.
As an architect, Arne Jacobson was renowned for leaving nothing to chance. He designed every detail of his projects, right down to the taps. Today, his legacy lives on in VOLA.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
The Altro Neurodiversity Forum 2025 gathered leading architects, designers, thought-leaders and advocates in March at the Manly Pacific Hotel in Sydney.
In a market saturated with sameness, Studio P3 set out to raise the bar, creating four refined speculative suites for Mirvac in Sydney, with Milliken flooring playing an essential role in realising a space with broad appeal – all underpinned by a commitment to sustainability.