Crystal Mirror® Adopted for Interior Finishing Materials at the Kyoto National Museum

This project involved the use of Crystal Mirror® for the interior of the Heisei Chishinkan Hall and the entrance area of the Kyoto National Museum, designed under the supervision of architect Yoshio Taniguchi.
The user, who was responsible for the design, fabrication, and installation of metal architectural fittings, received a request from architect Yoshio Taniguchi to propose a decorative surface material with a solid, substantial appearance for the entrance hall interior. In response, the user and SEIKOH jointly developed the proposed material.

Based on the surface image envisioned by the user and Mr. Taniguchi, several samples were produced in an effort to finalize the specifications.
However, bead blasting alone resulted in a whitish finish and did not provide the desired sense of depth and solidity. To address this, alumina blasting was added as a surface preparation process. After further testing various combinations of bead and alumina particle sizes, the final surface specifications were eventually determined.

The hall wall panels were originally planned to be 1524 mm or less in width, based on the use of 2B finish material. However, as the detailed building design progressed, the required width was changed to approximately 1900 mm.
Due to this change, only material with a No.1 finish was available. To achieve the same design quality and uniform surface roughness, SEIKOH proposed Crystal Mirror® from Nippon Steel & Sumikin Stainless Steel Corporation, together with material processed using a 5000-ton cold leveler.

By adopting Crystal Mirror®, the plate surface was improved through EGR polishing as a base treatment, achieving a defect-free and uniform surface without pinholes, as well as mirror-like reflectivity. The material processed with a 5000-ton cold leveler also achieved excellent flatness, eliminating waviness and reducing shadow-related contrast after installation on the wall. The combined effect of Crystal Mirror® and the 5000-ton cold-leveled material resulted in an outstanding product with a sense of depth and solidity, as well as excellent reflectivity. We were pleased and relieved to receive high praise from Mr. Taniguchi for the quality achieved in this project.