Silver Interior Space and Exhibition Design · 2026
Jam Base Workplace Interior
by surDL
- A' Design Award 2026 Silver Winner in Interior Space and Exhibition Design
- Awarded April 15, 2026
- CLIENT: ORIX Real Estate Corporation
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 14,438
- Verification code F5513DCF30 · Verify this award
About Jam Base Workplace Interior
Jam Base is a co creation space located in Grand Green Osaka, conceived as part park and part building. Designed for unexpected encounters, it acts as a platform where diverse users meet and create together. Guided by Midori, Yohaku, and Gocha Gocha, the architecture centers on a central atrium with multi level zones and intersecting circulation that allow activities to overlap. Subtle spatial cues support gathering and interaction. Rather than prescribing fixed programs, the space evolves with its people, functioning as a living collective that fosters collaboration and urban vitality.
Jam Base Workplace Interior by Makoto Inagaki exemplifies the contemporary evolution of workplace design philosophy wherein the traditional office environment transforms into a dynamic ecosystem supporting diverse modes of work, collaboration, and personal restoration. This interior space demonstrates remarkable sensitivity to biophilic design principles, integrating abundant living vegetation throughout the architectural volume in a manner that transcends mere decorative gesture to become fundamental spatial strategy. The double-height atrium configuration, captured here from an elevated perspective that reveals the compositional logic of the whole, establishes generous vertical dimension while the expansive curtain wall glazing dissolves boundaries between interior activity and exterior landscape. The chromatic strategy deserves particular attention: against the neutralizing field of charcoal carpet, furniture elements in saturated hues of yellow, blue, orange, and rose create navigational landmarks and zones of visual energy without overwhelming the spatial coherence. The designer appears to have conceived the floor plane as a flexible landscape rather than fixed arrangement, with furniture clusters of varying configuration accommodating individual focus work, small group conversation, and larger collaborative gathering. The elevated mezzanine in warm wood tones introduces a secondary spatial register, suggesting hierarchical organization while maintaining visual connection across levels. Human presence throughout the captured moment suggests the space fulfills its programmatic intentions, with occupants engaged in varied activities that demonstrate the environment's capacity to support choice-based work patterns. The integration of living trees and plantings creates micro-environments within the larger volume, each seating cluster gaining intimacy through botanical framing. This work invites consideration of how contemporary workplace design increasingly acknowledges the profound relationship between environmental quality and human flourishing, positioning aesthetic refinement and wellness objectives as complementary rather than competing values.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Jam Base is a hybrid spatial ecosystem that dissolves the boundaries between park and building to catalyze serendipitous encounters. Designed as a co-creation hub within Grand Green Osaka, it enables diverse users to converge and generate new value. Obliquely oriented volumes and intersecting circulation around a central atrium materialize simultaneous activities. Conceived as an organic collective, the space evolves through the actions and relationships of its participants. What sets Jam Base apart is its unfinished "Yohaku" quality shaped by "Gocha Gocha," a vibrant diversity that acts as a catalyst for connection.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Jam Base is a mixed use complex totaling 10000 sqm, centered on a nine story main tower within Grand Green Osaka. Diagonally arranged volumes create overlap, allowing wind flow and spatial openness. Organized around a central atrium, its three dimensional layout enables intersecting sightlines and movement. The project includes 13,920 sqm of painted surfaces in 51 colors, 121 graphic works, 1,001 books, 1,062 plants, 1,490 chairs, and 3,415 furniture pieces. Wood, metal, and plaster finishes support long term use with flexible layouts for renewal.
- Tags
- co-creation hub, hybrid architecture, urban platform, spatial ecosystem, serendipity, adaptive space, Japanese design philosophy, mixed-use architecture, collaborative space, innovation hub, spatial ecosystem
- Production Technology
- spatial planning, circulation design, mixed-use programming, adaptive architecture, interior-exterior integration, user-driven space, environmental graphics, modular furniture, flexible layout systems
- Design Challenge
- The greatest challenge was creating a facility that could stimulate innovation in Japan's urban environment. It had to move beyond a conventional workplace. The design embraced ambiguity and unfinished architecture shaped by users. Excessive openness risked compromising safety, requiring careful zoning and circulation planning. Realizing Gocha Gocha as a creative driver became the core strategy, balancing diversity and spatial control.
- Project Duration
- The project was initiated in 2014 as part of the Grand Green Osaka urban redevelopment in Osaka, Japan. Planning and design were carried out between 2019 and 2020, and the project was completed and opened in September 2024 in the Umekita district of Osaka.
- Operation Flow
- The space is intentionally left open-ended, allowing users to actively shape and redefine its functions over time. Through continuous use, the environment evolves dynamically, reflecting the diversity of its participants and their interactions. By integrating open programs and flexible spatial configurations, the design supports spontaneous encounters and ongoing transformation.
- Research
- The design research focused on how spatial configuration can stimulate unexpected interactions in urban environments. Through analysis of user behavior, circulation patterns, and co-creation ecosystems, the project explores how architecture can act as a catalyst for collective creativity. The outcome demonstrates how spatial openness and layered circulation can generate new relationships, activities, and evolving uses over time.
- Inspiration
- Jam Base was conceived with a vision to redefine how co-creation functions within a city: a spatial system that transforms the urban environment into a platform for collective creativity. It connects business, education, government, and local communities where ideas meet by chance. Guided by the Japanese concepts of Midori, Yohaku, and Gocha Gocha, the design encourages spontaneous collaboration. Through its atrium and intersecting circulation, everyday encounters become a driver for innovation.
- Image Credits
- Image #01:Photographer Taichi Misonoo
Image #02:Photographer Akira Ito
Image #03:Photographer Nacása & Partners Inc.
Image #04:Photographer Taichi Misonoo
Image #05:Photographer Taichi Misonoo
Video Credits: WOW inc.