we + studio

we+ is a contemporary design studio that gives form to new perspectives and values through research-based and experimental approaches. Founded in 2013 by Toshiya Hayashi and Hokuto Ando, the studio explores the possibilities of alternative design that establishes a close coexistence with the natural and social environment around us, and incorporates a diversity of values that are often forgotten in today’s society, where convenience and rationality are sought. Members with diverse backgrounds and skills: designers, engineers, researchers and writers, come together to present self-initiated projects based on research, both in Japan and abroad. With the knowledge gained from these projects, we participate in a wide range of comissioned work, including R&D, installations, branding, product development, spatial design and art direction for various companies and organizations. As part of their research initiatives, the studio focuses on projects such as “Nature Study”, which investigates how human beings have coexisted with nature until now and imagines a new way of living whereby nature and artificial merge, and “Urban Origin”, which examines the origins of today’s overly complicated manufacturing process and reevaluates the waste produced by cities as indigenous materials. Their works are part of permanent collections at institutions such as the Vitra Design Museum in Germany