Press Release
Frames Office by Michihiro Matsuo Receives the Silver A' Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design
The international grand jury of the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes Michihiro Matsuo for architecture, building and structure design
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 20, 2025 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Silver A' Design Award in the Architecture, Building and Structure Design category for Frames Office by Michihiro Matsuo, designed for Metaph Architect Associates. The result belongs to the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
What the Silver A' Design Award Means
The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.
More About Frames Office
Frames is an office building located in Osaka, Japan. The facade is defined by overlapping window frames that appear to float above a horizontal eave at ground level. Bright and open work spaces are placed mainly above the second floor. The window shapes and carefully placed trees soften the view from the street, keeping a balance between privacy and openness. The building uses a wooden rigid frame structure with large section laminated timber and metal joints. Structural analysis was carried out to ensure safety in a region with frequent earthquakes and to support low carbon construction.
About Michihiro Matsuo
Matsuo michihiro mainly designs villas and houses. and seems to embody the new value created by the relationship between housing and society and design. Pursue design quality while securing earthquake resistance and functionality. In order to realize a low carbon society in Japan, which is a country with many earthquakes, we have selected a wooden axis for the structure, and we are challenging the possibility of making wood of houses and large buildings with earthquake resistant performance secured.
Award Record
This recognition makes Michihiro Matsuo a winner of 13 A' Design Awards. The awards span the editions from 2017 - 2018 to 2024 - 2025 of the A' Design Award & Competition.
About the A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award
The A' Architecture Design Award is an international architectural design competition recognizing good architectural designs by best architects worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to architectural design studios, building contractors, structural engineering firms and architecture and design consultants from all countries. Entries typically include skyscrapers, museums, residential buildings, commercial complexes, educational institutions and religious structures. Awarded architectural projects are published at https://designers.org/design-category/architecture
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/171551
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/171551
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!171551
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/222614
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://00m.in/fKudB
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Frames Office
- Function
- Office
- Category
- Architecture, Building and Structure Design
- Discipline
- Spatial Design
- Industry
- Architecture
- Colors
- Steel Blue, Dodger Blue, Dark Slate Gray, Royal Blue and Cornflower Blue
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Metaph Architect Associates
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Michihiro Matsuo
- Country
- Japan
- Recognition
- Silver A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2024 - 2025
- Design ID
- #171551
Credits
- Image Credits
- Michihiro Matsuo,Metaph Architect Associates
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- The building aims for an open, organic look with window frames on the façade. The overlapping, almost floating frame design catches the eye. Inside, the view from employees and pedestrians is separated, with bright, open office spaces and strategically planted greenery softly blocking the view, maintaining a balance between privacy and openness. Horizontal eaves at ground level contrast with the windows above to create a sleek façade that blends in with the surrounding landscape.
- Inspiration
- The starting point was an organic office design that blends in with nature and the local area. The design emphasized windows that connect with nature and harmony with the exterior space, aiming to create an office that is open, nature-oriented, and blends in with the local area. By harmonizing with the surroundings with natural light and plants and prioritizing employee comfort, we have created a new office space that is open to the local area and gives a sense of nature.
- Research
- This study examines design methods aimed at achieving both safety and comfort in office buildings with large windows, and harmonizing with the local environment. Through questionnaire surveys and tours, we aim to investigate the psychological impact of organic architectural designs that give a sense of connection with nature, and to propose the ideal form of next-generation office architectural design.
- Challenge
- In the Japanese construction industry, many buildings are currently constructed using non-wooden materials, and this study aims to achieve both low carbon emissions through wooden architecture and open space design. In particular, in Japan, where earthquakes are frequent, the realization of large-scale wooden architecture is a major challenge in terms of achieving both structural safety and freedom of design.
- Realization and Technology
- This building is an environmentally friendly wooden structure. Because it has a large open space, there were concerns about the strength of the building. In order to build it safely, a structural analysis was carried out and large-section laminated timber and metal joints were used to achieve a strong and safe structure. In Japan, where earthquakes are frequent, structural calculations are extremely important for wooden buildings, and the utmost consideration was given to this.
- Operation and Interaction
- Most of the work is carried out in the space above the second floor. The shape of the window frames and the strategically placed trees on the outside block the view of passersby, and other careful considerations have been made to ensure privacy and create a work space.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project was completed in Osaka, Japan in December 2024
- Specifications
- Site area 1,037.12 m2, Scale 768.80 m2, Structure Wood, Number of floors 3, This building is often planned to be made of steel to match its shape, but in consideration of low carbonization, it is planned to be maed to be made of wooden rigid frame construction. arge openings.
- Keywords
- Office, Wood, Architecture, Nature, Window
