Embraced in Recycled Steel Office by Nobuaki Miyashita is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 Golden A' Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design Competition Category.
GoldArchitecture· 2025
Embraced in Recycled Steel Office
Client: Kyoei Steel Ltd
Golden A' Design Award Winner in Architecture Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #170802The Design
About Embraced in Recycled Steel Office
Embraced in Recycled Steel is an office building for a steel recycling company in Yamaguchi, Japan. The exterior adopts a stacked structure inspired by steel billets, with special coatings that create textural variation. The interior uses angle steel, flat bars and deformed steel bars as finish materials, bringing structural elements into open view. Barcode and QR code motifs extend through the spaces, and seamless LED fixtures shaped like billets are combined with steel louvers on the ceiling. The building has four floors above ground and a maximum height of 19.9 meters.
The Recognition
About the Golden A' Design Award
Embraced in Recycled Steel Office is a Golden A' Design Award winner, an immensely prestigious recognition granted to first-rate, marvelous, and outstanding designs. Golden winners are exceedingly innovative, visionary, and glamorously dazzling creations that reflect the prodigy, wisdom, and prowess of their designers. Embraced in Recycled Steel Office is expected to be a highly praised, trendsetting, and monumental invention that delivers unprecedented value. This Golden A' Design Award-winning design is a spectacular, respected project that highly benefits and advances the boundaries of art, science, design, and technology. Embraced in Recycled Steel Office creates intense feelings of desire, evokes passion, encourages creativity, and fascinates us.
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Grand Interview
Your innovative approach to transforming recycled steel billets into architectural elements at the Embraced in Recycled Steel Office has garnered significant recognition - could you share the creative journey that led to this groundbreaking aesthetic decision?
The idea originated from observing Kyoei Steel’s recycled billets—solid, weighty, and full of narrative. I wanted to reinterpret these industrial forms not as raw materials but as architectural expressions of renewal. Through the stacking and layering of billet-inspired volumes, the building symbolizes the cyclical rebirth of steel. It transforms industrial matter into a spatial metaphor of sustainability, where strength and refinement coexist.
The integration of QR code-inspired vertical designs and lighting systems in the Embraced in Recycled Steel Office creates a unique visual narrative - how did this concept evolve during the design process, and what technical challenges did you overcome to achieve this striking effect?
The barcode and QR code motifs evolved from the idea of connecting the analog materiality of steel with the digital future of manufacturing. The vertical rhythm represents data flow and production traceability. Technically, integrating LEDs into these narrow vertical slots was challenging; we developed custom aluminum channels to achieve precise light diffusion without visible fixtures, transforming digital code into architectural light.
Given the extensive scale of the Embraced in Recycled Steel Office, spanning nearly 4,000 square meters, how did you ensure that the sustainable design principles and recycled steel elements maintained visual coherence throughout such a large space?
Consistency across the vast area was achieved through a modular rhythm derived from billet proportions. Every element—facade panels, ceiling grids, lighting strips—follows this proportional rule. By repeating and scaling this module, the design maintains harmony while adapting to each functional zone. The sustainable concept thus becomes not only material-based but also systemic, embedded in the architectural logic itself.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- Kyoei Steel recycles steel scrap using electric furnaces. The new Yamaguchi office themed An Office Embraced in Recycled Steel embodies this transformation. The exterior draws from stacked billets while the interior uses locally sourced angle steel and rebars. Barcode and QR code designs extend through office spaces, harmonizing steel and light. The lighting design transforms these patterns into three dimensional forms, adding depth and movement, symbolizing Kyoei Steel’s identity and vision.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Site Area: 108,045.44 Square meters
Building Area: 1,091.12 Square meters
Total Floor Area: 3,931.89 Square meters
Structure: RC
Number of Floors: 4 above ground
Maximum Height: 19.9 m
Eaves Height: 16.5 m
Floor Height: 3.9 m
Ceiling Height: 2.9 m - Tags
- architecture, office, lighting design, recycled steel, sustainable design
- Production Technology
- The building’s exterior adopts a stacked structure inspired by Kyoei Steel’s billets, with special coatings creating textural variations symbolizing recycling. The interior features angle steel, flat bars, and deformed steel bars as finish materials, bringing typically hidden structural elements into the architectural expression. The lighting design integrates seamless LED fixtures shaped like billets, harmonizing with steel louvers on the ceiling for a cohesive lighting environment.
- Design Challenge
- The main challenge was to create an architecture that symbolizes the company’s identity without compromising factory functionality. The project required extensive testing to utilize steel materials not only structurally but also aesthetically. Special focus was given to the QR code-inspired vertical design and lighting integration, which underwent multiple prototypes and refinements to achieve the desired effect.
- Research
- Type of Research: Architectural design research
Research Objectives: Exploring recycled steel’s potential in architecture
Methodology: Material analysis and spatial testing
Data Collection: Mock-ups and lighting simulations
Participants: Designers, engineers, technical experts
Results: The building serves as a showroom, demonstrating recycled steel’s architectural potential
Impact: Set a benchmark for sustainable design while enhancing corporate branding and public awareness - Inspiration
- The design reflects the process of transforming recycled scrap metal into new steel products, embodying Kyoei Steel’s commitment to sustainability. The stacked billet-inspired structure symbolizes the recycling and regeneration of steel resources, visually expressing the company's dedication. The interior incorporates the company’s own steel materials, such as angle steel, rebars, and flat bars, ensuring their strength, durability, and aesthetic appeal are fully showcased throughout the space.
- Project Duration
- The project commenced in early 2022 in Yamaguchi, Japan, with design and planning phases focused on integrating Kyoei Steel’s identity into the architecture. Construction began in mid-2023, aiming to unify office functions while enhancing operational efficiency and employee engagement. The office was completed in early 2024, creating a sustainable workspace that embodies the company’s commitment to steel recycling and innovation.
- Operation Flow
- This building visualizes Kyoei Steel’s recycling process, transforming the journey of recycled scrap metal into an architectural experience. The stacked billet-inspired exterior symbolizes material circulation, while the interior features angle steel and deformed bars as finish materials. The stairwell integrates a QR code motif with lighting, creating an interplay of steel and light that intuitively communicates the company’s technology and commitment to sustainability.
- Patents
- N/A
- Team Members
- N/A
- Image Credits
- Image #1,#3,#4 : Photographer Nobuaki Miyashita Variations, 2024
Image #2,#5 : Photographer Sato Kenta, Variations, 2024.
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