UENOA tops japanese office building with three-dimensional timber roof

tokyo-based architecture firm UENOA has completed a new office building for structural screw company synegic in tomiya city, japan. designed for a client who contributes to the spread of medium and large scale wooden buildings by providing the necessary joinery, the project expands the possibilities of such structures by incorporating a three-dimensional, cross-laminated timber (CLT) roof with a large truss spanning 18 meters.

images of completed project by hiroyuki hirai, all courtesy of UENOA

UENOA has developed the company building to accommodate synegic‘s various working styles – from standard desk work to experiments, and collaboration with external researchers – in a way that they can influence each other, creating a lively dialogue and a sense of solidarity. the office floor plan follows the dynamic frame of the large timber roof, which dictates also the exterior form of the building. spread across two levels and a mezzanine platform, the working area balances between the steepness of the space, reinforced by the large roof, and an intimate, warm atmosphere created by the use of wood.

the three-dimensional roof shape is formed by connecting flat trusses made of laminated timber with triangular CLT panels. by adopting a CLT panel for fastening flat trusses, it is possible to avoid complicated processing of joints and joining by hardware, and to enable a rational method of pre-cutting at the factory and on-site screw joining. in addition, CLT panels, which are often used on walls and floors and have a heavy impression, attribute a lightweight character to the roof.  

project info:

name: synegic office building

architect: UENOA architects /yoshinori hasegawa, fumie horikoshi

location: tomiya city, miyagi prefecture, japan

structure engineer: holzstr +KMC

landscape designer: SFG landscape architects

built area: 580 m²

total floor area: 900 m²

number of floors: 2 floors above ground

structure: wooden (CLT)