Wagon Remodeling Ka'a 'Ai by Taichi Hirata

Wagon Remodeling Ka'a 'Ai by Taichi Hirata is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 A' Design Award Kala in Hoʻolālā Kaiāulu Competition Category.

KalaKaiāulu· 2025

Wagon Remodeling Ka'a 'Ai

by Taichi Hirata

A' Design Award Kala Winner in Kaiāulu Category

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Verified Award Winner
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Colors

The Design

About Wagon Remodeling Ka'a 'Ai

Ua loaʻa i ka ka'a kū'ai 'uala pulehu pōhaku Kepanī kona wahi koʻikoʻi ma nā ho'oilo Kepanī, e lawe mai ana i ka pumehana a hoʻomālamalama ana i ke kulanakauhale i ka hiki 'ana mai o ka pō. Ua nānā hou 'ia ma o ka mana'o hoʻolālā o kēia au. Ma Kyoto, kahi i loaʻa ai ka māhele o nā 'ano kūpololei a me ka moe e like me nā puka makani lāʻau, ua hoʻolālā 'ia e ho'ohui i nā 'ano hihi, i lawe 'ia no nā kumu kukulu, ma ke 'ano e kūpono ai i nā alanui o Kyoto e like me ka honua a hana i ka ki'i ma loko ona.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Kala

Ua lanakila ka hoʻolālā Wagon Remodeling Ka'a 'Ai i ka A' Design Award Kala, he ʻike hoʻohanohano nui loa i hāʻawi ʻia i nā hoʻolālā kiʻekiʻe loa, nani a kupaianaha. He mau hana ʻālohilohi loa a hana noʻeau nui nā lanakila Kala e hōʻike ana i ka loea, ka makakoho a me ka ʻoi aku o ka noʻonoʻo o kā lākou poʻe hoʻolālā. Manaʻo ʻia ʻo ka hoʻolālā Wagon Remodeling Ka'a 'Ai he hana kupaianaha, kūlana ʻoi aku, ʻoihana kiʻekiʻe a hou loa. ʻO kēia hoʻolālā i lanakila i ka A' Design Award Kala he mea hoʻokumu kūpono loa, mahalo ʻia e hāʻawi i ka pōmaikaʻi a hoʻoneʻe i nā palena o ka hana noʻeau, ka ʻepekema, ka hoʻolālā a me ka ʻenehana. He mea i ʻeleu ʻia e nā mea he nui ka hoʻolālā Wagon Remodeling Ka'a 'Ai e hoʻāla i ka makemake, lawe mai i nā manaʻo maikaʻi a hoʻāla i ka kamahaʻo a me ka mahalo.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: The Japanese stone roasted sweet potato food wagon has long been an important presence in Japan's winters, bringing warmth and gently illuminating the town as night falls. I reimagined it through a contemporary design approach. In Kyoto, where the cityscape features a rhythm of horizontal and vertical elements like lattices windows, I focused on integrating diagonal elements, adopted for structural reasons, in a way that complements Kyoto's streets as the "ground" and forms a "figure" within it.
Dimensions & Packaging: l1880, h1225, w1385 (main)
l3400, h1920, w1450 (include truck)
Tags: food wagon, food truck, architecture, lighting, car design
Production Technology: Initially, the budget was limited, but as professionals in architecture and construction, we decided to adopt an architectural approach rather than a high-precision industrial one. The frame, serving as the main structure, was made with wooden framing by carpenters, and the surface was finished with FRP membranes by waterproofing and painting specialists. By treating it as an extension of our usual work, we maintained quality and reduced intermediate costs with trusted colleagues.
Inspiration: In Japan, during winter evenings, people with frozen hands from the cold buy warm roasted sweet potatoes, warming both their hands and hearts with the heat as they make their way home. It is a very familiar scene. When designing, I wanted to capture the nostalgia that resonates in the hearts of the Japanese. I aimed to express this warmth, like the soft orange light seen through a house's shoji screen, in office districts, in front of train stations, and in residential areas.
Project Duration: The project started in summer 2020 in Kyoto, with the first unit being developed, followed by the second unit in 2021 and the third unit in 2022 with minor updates. In 2023, the development of the fourth unit was carried out, incorporating the insights gained from the previous models
Patents: Copyrights studio tata, 2024
Team Members: Taichi Hirata
Image Credits: Image #1: ryo kotaka, unit1, 2020
Image #2: ryo kotaka, unit1, 2020
Image #3: taichi hirata, unit3, 2022
Image #4: taichi hirata, unit4, 2023
Image #5: taichi hirata, unit4, 2023