naf architect & design Inc.

限界集落でゆばを製造するミナミ食品の新工場の増築棟。

新工場が完成して間も無く、南社長から「実は増築を考えていまして…」との連絡が入った。もとから拡張性を重視していたため設計の対応はすぐにできるのだが、１年も経たない間のことだったので少々驚いた。

理由としては、
１）新工場整備によって受注量や生産量がかなり増えた結果、梱包した商品を出荷に向けてストックしておく場所が想定以上に必要になった
２）フリーズドライ加工の大型機械を導入できることになったが、機能区分と大きさの面で新工場には置けないため、新たな場所が必要になった
とのことで、空間だけでなく機能を拡張する内容も含まれていた。

フリーズドライの加工機は貴重なもので、東北地方で備えている食品工場は少ない。南社長としては、これによって「ゆば」が主力である今のミナミ食品の商品群に幅や個性を持たせられないかと考えていた。が、それにとどまらないのが「らしい」ところで、将来はフリーズドライ加工機を他の食品会社も使えるようにして互いに連携すれば、東北地方ならではの魅力が詰まった商品を今よりもさらに生み出してゆけるのではないか、とも考えていた。

そこにデザイナーの伊藤氏が関わって考え方が熟成され、増築棟の外壁に掲げられる看板は「八分目商店」に決まった。新工場の看板は「ミナミ食品」だったが、今回の場合はミナミ食品だけでなく様々な食品会社の商品も取り扱ってゆくというスタンスの表明であり、そこには当然、新工場建設時から続く地方創生や活性化への意思表明が重ね合わせられている。

構造は新工場と同様に、町のあちこちに見られる鶏舎の木造トラスを原型としたうえで耐震用の方杖・扁平柱を片方（国道側）に寄せる方式としている。新工場と違うのは、方杖・扁平柱を仕上げず工場内で現しにしていることで、出荷に向けた商品をストックする棚など、造作の手がかりとして活かせればと考えた。もう片方（国道の反対側）には方杖・扁平柱を無くして、大きなフリーズドライ加工機を設置するためのプレーンな空間を確保している。

南社長によれば、増築棟の竣工と前後してニューヨークなど海外の展示会に積極的に参加して、国際的なネットワークを育てているとのこと。そう遠くない将来、「実はまたさらに増築を…」という連絡が入りそうな予感がしている。

－中佐昭夫－

Name of the Project : New factory of Minami Foods extention
Location : Hirono Town, Iwate
Category : factory
Zoning use district : –
Structure : Wood construction
Number of stories : 1 storie above ground
Maximum height : 6.052m
Maximum eave height : 4.020m
Frontal road : 14.313m on the North
Site area : 3242.06m2
Building area : 149.060m2
Total floor area : 137.200m2
Design time : September 10, 2021 – March 13, 2022
Construction time : March 14, 2022 – July 29, 2022
Architect : Akio NAKASA(Principal Architect) , Teppei Amano
Structure : Yosuke MISAKI / EQSD
Facility : Hikaru ASANO , Takumi IKEDA / Setsubikeikaku
Cooperation : Taichi ITO / MOLT(Logo, sign, package design) , Kai SUZUKI(food factory consultant)
Photo : Toshiyuki YANO

An extension of the new factory of Minami Foods, which produces “yuba” (bean curd skin) in a marginal village.

Shortly after the new factory was completed, we received a call from President Minami saying, “we are actually thinking about expanding.” While we were ready to design an extension as it was part of our initial plan, we were a little bit surprised to hear that less than a year after the factory was built.

The background of extension:
1) The amount of orders and production increased considerably followed by the operation of the new factory, which resulted in necessity of more space than expected to store packed products for shipping.
2) Long-awaited introduction of a large freeze dryer machine needed new space for installation as it cannot be in the new factory due to its functional classification and size.
Thus, the extension project required not only additional space but also function.

Commercial freeze dryer machines are hard to come by and few food factories in the Tohoku region own them. President Minami had ideas to expand and introduce uniqueness in the product line whose mainstay is tofu skin. And as a visionary that he is, his plan didn’t stop there. He also had in mind collaboration with other food companies in the region by letting them use the freeze dryer and developing Tohoku-region unique and speciality products together.

With the involvement of the designer for Minami Foods, Mr. Ito, the idea matured and the sign on the exterior wall of the extension was decided to read “Hachibunme Shoten (80% or moderately full store)”. The new factory’s sign is “Minami Foods,” but in this project, “Hachibunme Shoten”, we wanted to express that we are going beyond a private entity by taking in products of various food companies in the region to revitalize and promote the local community, which has been Minami Foods’ mission from the onset of the new factory project.

Similar to the new factory, the structure is based on the wooden trusses of chicken houses that can be seen around the village, with quake-resistant braces and flat columns placed on one side (the national highway side). What is different from the new factory is that the canes and flat pillars are left unfinished and exposed inside the building, with the idea that they could be used for future work, such as additional shelves for stocking products for shipping. On the other side (on the opposite side of the national highway), we have removed the crutches and flat pillars to create a plain space in which to install a large freeze dryer machine.

According to President Minami, around the time the extension is completed, the company will be actively participating in overseas exhibitions such as one in New York to foster an international network. I have a feeling that in the not-too-distant future, I will receive a call saying, “We are actually planning another extension.”

– Akio Nakasa –