Dear Jingumae Project

Shibuya, Japan

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Dear Ginza bldg. Project

Dear Jingumae Project

Shibuya, Japan

Firm

Amano Design Office

Type

Commercial › Office Supermarket

YEAR

2014

This is a conversion project that totally renovated a 25-year-old office building, located on a back street of Omotesando in Tokyo, in order to facilitate commercial functions.

The client requested a design that would have a unique facade expression differentiated from the surrounding buildings, and that would be a part of future tenants’ branding.

We aimed for a design with a soft expression that would be favorably accepted by passersby, while standing out from the surrounding buildings that tended to have physically hard expressions. By removing the out-of-fashion decorative frame structure on the existing building frame as much as possible, the primary shape was exposed. Then, metallic louvers were placed by using computer design to add a modern expression that conjures images of soft clothing.

The louvers give a soft expression by connecting 3D misaligned radii. They appear complicated but consist of only two types of radii (700R and 1700R) and straight lines. The louver components are also welded to crossed SUS plates, and protrude from the building frame via the SUS pipes, resulting in a streamlined workability.

At a time with a feeling of stagnation, we expected the building to create a new relationship with its surroundings, to add variety and a rich expression to the street, and to revitalize the neighborhood.

We were informed that the client was able to maintain a significant rate of return thanks to the facade design, further reiterating that this project was a success.