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On Saturday, September 13, a talk event titled “The Setouchi Design Conference and the “Sea Island” Concept” was held featuring Kenya Hara, general producer of BLUE OCEAN DOME; Sousuke Fujimoto, architect and president of Sousuke Fujimoto Architects; Katsunari Kanbara, president and CEO of Tsuneishi Holdings; and Yasuharu Ishikawa, president and CEO of Ishikawa Holdings. The event explored the region’s industry and culture, as well as future ocean use.
The “Setouchi Design Conference,” the theme of the talk session, is a conference aimed at creating a sustainable future, focusing on the nature, culture, and industry of the Setouchi region. Discussions are held from diverse perspectives, and concrete concepts are being developed.
The result of these discussions was “Umishima,” a new concept for an artificial island floating on the Seto Inland Sea that is connected to the natural islands of the region, creating “another Seto Inland Sea.” Hara explained, “It began with the idea of ’floating a new island in the sea,’ and gradually evolved into the poetic and challenging idea of ’floating another sea in the sea.'”
Fujimoto explained the design concept, saying, “We want to provide an experience that feels like standing on the calm waters of the Seto Inland Sea,” and used models and computer graphics to explain the structure of the facility on the island. The island is seamlessly connected to the sea surface, and a hole has been drilled into it to allow the real sea to be incorporated, highlighting its design’s emphasis on a sense of unity with nature.
Kanbara then explained the feasibility of the project from the perspective of shipbuilding technology, while Ishikawa, from the perspective of a business executive, emphasized the project’s industrial and regional significance, emphasizing how collaboration with Seto Inland Sea small and medium-sized enterprises and shipbuilding-related companies could lead to the revitalization of the entire region.
Furthermore, the Sea Island Concept goes beyond tourism and accommodation, and Hara also mentioned its potential as a base for international conferences and research, as an evacuation center in the event of a disaster, a floating school, and a testing ground for recycling-based agriculture, highlighting the role that sea islands will play as a multi-purpose platform of the future.
At the end of the event, Hara touched on the importance of protecting and refining the resources of the Japanese archipelago and creating interesting value for the future, calling for efforts to utilize the nature and culture at our feet rather than just focusing on technology.
▼The event is available to watch on YouTube’s <BLUE OCEAN DOME official channel>. Please take a look.
【#118】The Setouchi Design Conference and the “Sea Island” Concept (ZERI JAPAN)