50 Norman
50 Norman, as its name suggests, is located at 50 Norman Avenue in Greenpoint, Brooklyn; a lively neighborhood, home to the Wythe Hotel, Williamsburg Hotel, and The Hoxton, but also a peaceful residential area. It’s the perfect meeting point between the industrial, the commercial, and the residential, and is the best spot to feel the energy of ever-changing Brooklyn.
We are committed to delivering the highest quality of design and construction to 50 Norman, the multi-complex that brings high-quality Japanese culture and food to this vibrant neighborhood.
We chose to use reclaimed woods from demolished old houses in Kyoto to bring the timeless and true essence of Japan and its warmth; the wood is used throughout the space. In addition, we brought in TANK, a Tokyo-based team of Japanese skillful craftsmen, to work on this project to achieve high quality and productivity in a short period of time.
We were able to create this unique space thanks to the team of wonderful talents involved in this project. Japanese graphic designer, Rikako Nagashima of Village is one of them, and her sandblast signage is a great representation of our “subtraction approach”, not to forget the great support provided by BLANK design, the Brooklyn-based Japanese design and construction team.
We are proud that, despite the physical distance and time difference, we were able to bring our space-creation skills to Brooklyn. We hope our guests will feel as close to Japan as we feel to Brooklyn from Tokyo.
THE SPACE
Jo Nagasaka
Jo Nagasaka established Schemata Architects immediately after graduating from Tokyo University of the Arts in 1998. His design office is located in Kitasando, Tokyo. The scale of his work ranges widely from furniture and architecture to urban landscape, and an equally broad range of spaces, including cafés, shops, hotels and even public baths. No matter the size of his architectural work, he is always conscious about 1:1 scale, exploring materials and design, and expanding his projects both domestically and globally. He has been discovering new perspectives and values from everyday things and existing environments, while presenting unique approaches to design such as "subtraction", "misusage", "updating knowledge", "invisible development", and "semi-architecture". Find his past works here.
TANK is a Tokyo-based construction company founded in 2010, known for its work on storefronts and offices including multiple Blue Bottle Coffee locations in Japan. TANK’s strength is in putting unique designs into practice. Their work ranges from design to construction; they are also known for designing and constructing cat and dog shelters such as necoma and dog run, besides providing expert assistance to artists producing large-scale artworks. TANK re-examines existing construction methods from a new perspective and implements those to fabricate furniture and products with their own hands. https://tank-tokyo.jp/
Location
50 Norman Ave Brooklyn, NY 11222