amano design office: dear ginza bldg. project
image © nacasa & partners inc.

 

 

 

a folding geometric facade makes this building by japanese architecture firm amano design office stand out from its neighbors. facing the back side of a the central street in ginza, tokyo, the surrounding large buildings turn their backs onto the street edge, making the atmosphere unwelcoming for pedestrians. the brief for the new commercial development required a building that would attract visitors to this back-end street.

 

a double skin structure was employed, as views from the interior offer limited visual delight. the sustainable designed feature consists of glass curtain walls with graphically treated aluminum punched metal. computer algorithms determined the irregular form, which reduced the need for air conditioning. the existing context consists of mostly horizontal and vertical geometric shapes, and the new folded facade demands attention with its seemingly random exterior.

amano design office: dear ginza bldg. project
street view showing the facade’s contrast to its surrounding buildings
image © nacasa & partners inc.

 

 

 

different angles and shapes of the individually punched panels were designed to fit into a standard size, ensuring a minimal loss of material. to avoid appearing too heavy an extremely lightweight system was employed and an impression of abstract flower graphics detailed throughout. LED lighting installed inside the double skin  entertains passersby with chaining programs depending on the season. already the development has expected tenants, that will help to turn this ‘back-end’ street into a more prominent one.

amano design office: dear ginza bldg. project
view of the whole development
image © nacasa & partners inc.

amano design office: dear ginza bldg. project
facade during the daytime (left) and at night (right)
image © nacasa & partners inc.

amano design office: dear ginza bldg. project
the signboard installed at the entrance and at nighttime (right)
image © nacasa & partners inc.

amano design office: dear ginza bldg. project
interior reflections by the window
image © nacasa & partners inc.

amano design office: dear ginza bldg. project
the facade becomes a feature of the interior spaces
image © nacasa & partners inc.

amano design office: dear ginza bldg. project
interior with the lighting arranged at random
image © nacasa & partners inc.

amano design office: dear ginza bldg. project
glowing facade with bright LED lighting
image © nacasa & partners inc.

amano design office: dear ginza bldg. project
the LED lighting is programmed for every four seasons
image © nacasa & partners inc.

amano design office: dear ginza bldg. project
computer generated facade
image © nacasa & partners inc.

 

 

project info:

 

project name: dear ginza bldg. project
building location: ginza-1-chome, chuo-ku, tokyo,japan
completion year: march 2013
designer: amano design office
collaborators: atorie oica , azzurro architects
photographer: nacasa & partners inc.
main use: store building and office building
lot size: 187.20m2
building area: 155.55m2
total floor space: 1300.02m2
maximum height above rail level: 31.955m
structure: steel frame
number of stairs or stories: nine stories above groud ande one undergraund story
main material: aluminum graphic punching metal , extruded cement panel

 

 

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