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Key Kawamura

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Key Portilla Kawamura (born 1979, Oviedo, Spain) is a Spanish-Japanese architect, designer, creative entrepreneur and an international speaker specialised in workplace design and the future of work. He is the co-founder of the design studios Kawamura-Ganjavian and Studio Banana and the startups OstrichPillow and Moggie.[1][2]

Early life and education

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Kawamura studied architecture at the University of East London under the guidance of Peter Salter, where he met Ali Ganjavian, with whom he would later co-found several initiatives. He later pursued postgraduate studies at the Architectural Association.

After completing his studies, Kawamura gained experience working in Tokyo with Kazuyo Sejima and in Basel with Herzog & de Meuron.[3][4]

Career

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In 2000, Kawamura and Ganjavian co-founded the architecture and design studio Kawamura-Ganjavian (Studio KG) in London. The practice moved to Madrid in 2006, where they founded Studio Banana, the first co-working space in Spain and a multidisciplinary creative platform combining architecture, design, media, and strategy.[5][6]

Kawamura gained international recognition in 2011 when the Ostrich Pillow—a product he co-designed—was featured in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) exhibition “Talk to Me.” [7] In 2012, Ostrich Pillow was formalized as a startup focused on rest and wellbeing. In 2015, he co-founded Moggie, a wearable pet-tech company developed in collaboration with the Royal College of Art and MIT, offering AI-powered insights into feline behavior.

In the same period, Kawamura led the expansion of Studio Banana in Switzerland, opening offices in Lausanne and Basel, where it continued to develop a portfolio of public, cultural, and corporate projects.

Kawamura has been particularly active in the design of workplace and learning environments and the dissemination of his understanding of the evolution of workplace design and work dynamics [8][9][10][11] while working for clients such as EY, Nestlé, the United Nations, and the International Olympic Committee.[12][13]

Selected Projects

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As strategic lead for Work & Learning Environments at Studio Banana, Kawamura has overseen multiple projects, including:

  • La Fontaine at Rolex Learning Center, EPFL (2011)
  • McCann WorldGroup Headquarters, Madrid (2016) [14]
  • Emirates Room (Room XVII), United Nations Office at Geneva (2016)
  • FTI Headquarters, Geneva (2016)
  • Ernst & Young Weavespace, London (2017)
  • International Olympic Committee Welcome Experience, Lausanne (2019)
  • Losinger Marazzi HQ, Lausanne (2019)
  • NTT Headquarters, Lausanne (2021)
  • Nestlé R+D Accelerator, Lausanne (2022)
  • IDEHAP Learning Lab, University of Lausanne (2023)
  • Johnson & Johnson Workplace, Zug (2022)
  • Audemars Piguet Manufacture, Le Locle (2023)
  • QoQa Headquarters, Lausanne (2023)
  • “Loops” meditative installation, Inselspital Bern (2024) [15]
  • Espacio Movistar, Telefónica Headquarters, Madrid (2024) [16]

Product Design

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Key products developed under Kawamura’s creative direction include:

  • kangaroo light: a portable, built in battery powered soft luminaire [17][18]
  • BINPAN: a hybrid dustbin/dustpan [19]
  • Cajonlight: a minimal, multi-position lamp [20]
  • Deskshell: a portable, sound-absorbing desk divider
  • Ductpan: a dustpan with a funnel-shaped handle
  • Giraffe: a cork space divider with integrated power hub [21]

Exhibitions

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Kawamura’s work has been exhibited at prestigious venues including:

  • Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York; "Talk to Me: Design and the communication between People and Objects". MoMA. MoMA. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
  • Triennale di Milano
  • Transmediale, Berlin
  • Fondazione Pistoletto, Biella
  • Singapore Design Museum
  • Milan Design Week "Kawamura-Ganjavian". Madrid Abierto. Madrid Abierto. Retrieved 1 March 2007.

Awards

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  • 2002 Special Mention, Minimum Prize, Fondazione Pistoletto.
  • 2010 Espacio Iniciarte, Finalist, Saloni Awards, for the *Iniciarte cultural space at ARCO "Finalist X Saloni Awards". OHLAB. OHLAB. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  • 2013 Credit Suisse Best Teaching Award for innovative design education.
  • 2016 Best Pet Device, CES, for Moggie.
  • 2020 Digital Signage Awards, Corporate & Workplace Category, for IOC project "IOC Agora: Project Documentation and Award". iArt. iArt. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  • 2020 FINSA Award for User and Multimedia Experience (IOC)
  • 2020 Best Interior Design Project Award at Advanced *Architecture Awards for IOC "Studio Interiors Summit". Rebuild. Rebuild. Retrieved 13 March 2020.

Teaching and Public Engagement

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Kawamura has taught and lectured at institutions including:

Publications

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In 2019, Studio Banana published Think / Work Out of the Box, a book capturing its approach to workplace innovation and design thinking.

References

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  1. ↑ Bloch, Ghislaine. "Key Kawamura, la zen et tech attitude". Le Temps. Le Temps. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  2. ↑ Brown, Simon. "#71 Curious About The Future of Work with Ali Ganjavian & Key Portilla-Kawamura (Studio Banana)". The Curious Advantage. The Curious Advantage. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  3. ↑ Neira, Chus. "Cartografías del espacio interior". La Nueva España. La Nueva España. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
  4. ↑ Pertierra, Tino. "Kawamura pide convertir en "ventaja competitiva la condición de periferia"". La Nueva España. La Nueva España. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  5. ↑ Chalcraft, Emilie. "Ostrich pillow by Kawamura-Ganjavian". Dezeen. Dezeen. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  6. ↑ Camacho, Cecilia. "Studio Banana: Creatividad e ideas a sus anchas". NEO2. NEO2. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  7. ↑ Comes Fayos, María. "Una siesta en cualquier parte". El Pais. El Pais. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
  8. ↑ "Togetherness in times of social distance". TEDx Talks. TEDx Talks. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  9. ↑ "Innovating the Workplace with Key Kawamura". Business of Architecture UK. Business of Architecture UK. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  10. ↑ "The Workspace is dead, long live the flowspace". TEDx Talks. TEDx Talks. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  11. ↑ "From Workplace to Networkplace". Workplace Trends. Workplace Trends. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  12. ↑ "Kawamura-ganjavian, diseños llenos de humor". Interiors from Spain. ICEX. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
  13. ↑ "Spain GSD Lecture: Studio Banana". Harvard University Graduate school of Design. Harvard University. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  14. ↑ Corboy, Peter. "studio banana fill mccann worldgroup's madrid office with multi-functional 'huts'". Designboom. Designboom. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  15. ↑ "Spy suspends kinetic installation in bern hospital atrium for artistic healing". Designboom. Designboom. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  16. ↑ Zappia, Anna. "Heritage Meets Innovation at Telefónica Flagship Store in Madrid". Design Milk. Design Milk. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  17. ↑ "kangaroo light by Studio Banana things folds to fit at the bottom of a bag". Designboom. Designboom. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
  18. ↑ Williamson, Caroline. "Kangaroo: A portable light that's also flexible". Design Milk. Design Milk. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  19. ↑ "Design for all competition results". Designboom. Designboom. Retrieved 13 July 2010.
  20. ↑ Lei, Leo. "Cajon Light by Kawamura-Ganjavian". Design Milk. Design Milk. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  21. ↑ Dunne, Sam. ""Giraffe" Studio Space Divider by Kawamura-Ganjavian". Core77. Core77. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
  22. ↑ "Spain GSD Lecture: Studio Banana". Harvard University. Harvard University. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
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