That 90's Blog

Kirin Plaza, Osaka, 1987. Designed by Shin Takamatsu. Demolished and replaced by an ugly H&M warehouse. All credit to the architect.

Interior:

Urban context: the Dōtonbori in Osaka.

Osaka Expo ‘70 and Metabolism

Expo 70 was a world fair placed in Osaka prefecture in 1970, the first one ever held in Japan (and even Asia). It consisted of an outsized international exhibition about countries' accomplishments in terms of architecture, technologies, and economic development. Themed after the slogan Progress and Harmony for Mankind, the event aimed to display new promises of technology to achieve peace and stability to the world. This post is a replica of the linked article.

The master plan of the expo was commissioned to Kenzo Tange, a prominent figure in contemporary Japanese architecture. With the help of another 12 architects - Metabolist group included - they designed and organized several elements for the fair.

Osaka became a playground for Metabolism, an empty field to test their ideas about future, equipment, and organic development. The results astonished, streets became full of life with space-age installations, colors flooded all 330 hectares of responsible terrain. Wonders built as a forecast of the future about to come.

As a central piece of the fair, the designers conceptualized a place where people from around the globe could interact and socialize. The thoughts of a cover unified space where attendants could meet each other, they named it the Symbol Zone, a large plaza covered by a gigantic metal-framed roof:

In the middle of the plaza, you could find the Tower of Sun, a monumental sculpture made by Taro Okamoto. The 70-meter-high tower was a representation of the different faces of the sun during seasons.

With more than 64 million attendees, and 77 countries invited to participate, the event was a complete success. Besides Japanese-designed installations, other nations had the opportunity to showcase their pavilions, and they did not disappoint at all.

Swiss pavilion & Australian pavilion ^

Soviet pavilion & British pavilion (orly?) ^

French & Italian pavilions ^

Interiors designed by Gerhard Design Group (Andrew H. Gerhard)(1980s-1990s)

Scanned from the book, Showcase of Interior Design: Pacific Edition I (1992)

does anyone know where these pictures are actually from? 💿🐠

Hotel New York - Disneyland Paris (EuroDisney at time of opening) (1992)

Designed by Michael Graves & Associates

M&M's World Times Square - New York, NY (Dec. 2006)

Designed by Chute Gerdeman

Georgie Porgie's Ice Cream Parlor - Westport, CT (1987?)

Designed by Arnold Kaye

"Movie Theater McDonald's" - Raleigh, NC (1984)

"To commemorate McDonald's thirtieth anniversary, regional managers were asked to select one property in their respective areas that would be shaped into a one-of-a-kind design. Bruce Wunner, the chain's southeast regional manager, chose a newly acquired site in Raleigh: a circa 1920 building last used as a movie theater (first opened as the Varsity Theatre in 1941) and located on busy Hillsborough Street. The fact that the interior of the building was laid out like a theater, and the fact that McDonald's was founded in 1955, gave Perry & Plummer Design Associates (Wilmington and Raleigh, North Carolina) the inspiration for the design theme. The stage was set for a fifties diner articulated within the shell of the old theater."

Architecture by Fred Tolson Associates, interior design by Perry & Plummer

Embassy Suites Minneapolis - Minneapolis, MN (1985)

Interior design by Marsha Curtis Youde for United States Development Corporation, architecture by Bentz, Thompson, Rietow

An ‘interior mined from holiday brochures’ … Sir Terry Farrell’s TV-AM studios in Camden, London, circa 1983.

Photograph: Arcaid Images/Alamy Stock Photo

Regal Cinemas FunScape - Jarmin Road, Chesapeake, VA (1990s)

"Walking into the Toy Box transforms the ordinary child and parent into a participant. The Crayon Storage Unit, Supersize Scribble Pad Memo Board, Thematic Artist Palette Table, and Paint Jar Seats, Coral Reef Decor for Interactive Seas are products designed to create interactive opportunities for children and parents. The "Interactive Seas Bubble Column" archway and "Gamemania" archway define key attractions in the play area. These archways, with their vibrant colors and miniature game parts, initiate visitors to find new adventures within the FunScape complex."

Designed by Interior Systems, Inc. (ISI)

The Arcadia store, Chicago area

The Parisian, Hoover, Alabama