Higeta Building Egoitza Nagusiko Bulego Eraikina by Nobuaki Miyashita

Higeta Building Egoitza Nagusiko Bulego Eraikina by Nobuaki Miyashita is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Urrezko Saria A' Design Award in Arkitektura, Eraikin eta Egitura Diseinua Competition Category.

UrreArkitektura· 2026

Higeta Building Egoitza Nagusiko Bulego Eraikina

by Nobuaki Miyashita

Client: Higeta Shoyu Co., Ltd.

Urrezko Saria A' Design Award Winner in Arkitektura Category

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Colors

The Design

About Higeta Building Egoitza Nagusiko Bulego Eraikina

Higeta Building zazpi solairuko egoitza nagusia da, Tokioko Nihonbashi auzoan kokatua, aspaldidanik diharduen soja-saltsa ekoizle batentzat diseinatua. Hormigoi armatuzko egitura aluminio anodizatuzko lamekin bildua dago, 300 mm-ko tartearekin ezarriak. Lamen angeluak aldatu egiten dira hego-mendebaldeko eguzkia murrizteko eta pribatutasuna babesteko, eta gainazalak haizeak mugitutako gari-soro bat gogorarazten du. Hormako estaldura beltz sakonak itzalak indartzen ditu eta hartzidurari egiten dio erreferentzia. Barruan, argi-patio zentral batek egun-argia sartzen du oinplano estura, eta urtaroen araberako aireztapen naturala bultzatzen du.

The Recognition

About the Urrezko Saria A' Design Award

Higeta Building Egoitza Nagusiko Bulego Eraikina Urrezko Saria A' Design Award irabazlea da, lehen mailako, zoragarriak eta nabarmenak diren diseinuei ematen zaien aitorpen izugarri prestijiotsua. Urre-mailako irabazleak berrikuntzaz beteriko, ikuspegi handiko eta distiraz liluragarriak diren sorkuntzak dira, beren diseinatzaileen genioa, jakituria eta trebetasuna islatzen dutenak. Higeta Building Egoitza Nagusiko Bulego Eraikina oso goraipatua, joera-markatzailea eta monumentala den asmakizuna izatea espero da, balio aurrekaririk gabea eskaintzen duena. Urrezko Saria A' Design Award irabazi duen diseinu hau proiektu ikusgarri eta errespetatua da, artearen, zientziaren, diseinuaren eta teknologiaren mugak oso onuragarriro zabaltzen dituena. Higeta Building Egoitza Nagusiko Bulego Eraikina desira-sentimendu biziak sortzen dituen, grina pizten duen, sormena bultzatzen duen eta liluratzen gaituen lana da.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Founded in 1616, Higeta pioneered adding wheat in 1697, shaping the prototype of koikuchi soy sauce at the root of Japan's cuisine. Honored by the Edo shogunate and later recognized by the Imperial Household, its heritage is translated into architecture. This 7-story RC headquarters in Nihonbashi uses anodized aluminum louvers at 300 mm pitch, with variable angles to cut southwest sun, protect privacy, and shimmer like a wheat field over deep black walls that evoke fermentation.
Dimensions & Packaging: 7-story reinforced-concrete headquarters in Nihonbashi, Tokyo. Site area 327.00 sqm; building area 260.32 sqm; total floor area 1,722.03 sqm. Height 29.085 m; eaves 27.720 m; floor-to-floor 3.95 m; ceiling 2.70 m. Zoning: commercial; front road width 11 m. Environmental device: anodized aluminum louver screen at 300 mm pitch with variable angles for solar control and privacy. A central light court supports daylight penetration and seasonal natural ventilation.
Tags: Headquarters, Architecture, Environmental facade, Aluminum louvers, Solar shading, Nihonbashi, Cultural heritage, Koikuchi soy sauce, Wheat motif, Urban identity
Production Technology: Facade: electrolytically colored aluminum louvers, bead-blasted then anodized, for a warm, durable sheen. Each louver is 50 mm (face) x 170 mm (depth) x 3,935 mm (height), set at 300 mm pitch with carefully varied angles. Angled plates are bolted to welded channel members for precision and cost control. Louvers continue across operable entrance doors so the facade reads as one layer. Black elastic spray coating deepens shadows and recalls fermentation richness.
Design Challenge: Challenge: on a narrow, deep Nihonbashi site, create a strong symbol while cutting southwest sun and protecting privacy for adjacent housing. The facade could not be heavy or closed. Identity, comfort, and buildability were unified into one continuous louver layer, tuned in pitch and angle as a climate filter. Another challenge was cultural translation: to show global jurors that Japan's everyday taste grew from Higeta's 1697 wheat innovation. History becomes geometry, shadow, and airflow.
Research: Type of Research: design research. Objective: translate Higeta's 1697 wheat innovation into facade performance and urban identity. Method: louver-angle studies and wind-inspired curvature refinement; continuity tests for joints and operable doors. Tools: BIM model and CFD airflow simulation for ventilation via the light court and operable openings. Result/Impact: a unified louver screen delivering shading, privacy, daylight, and seasonal ventilation, showing heritage can be performance.
Inspiration: The motif is wheat, introduced by Higeta in 1697 to define koikuchi soy sauce. We made cultural memory measurable: the facade reads as a wheat field swaying in a "wind of memory" across Nihonbashi. Louver rhythm and gentle undulation were refined through computational studies so invisible forces-wind, time, and fermentation-can be felt as geometry, light, and shadow, while also delivering real shading and privacy.
Project Duration: Location: Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan (2-3 Nihonbashi Koami-cho). Design: Mar 2023-Dec 2023. Construction: Feb 2024-May 2025. A 7-story RC headquarters on a narrow, deep urban lot in a commercial zone, facing an 11 m road. It presents a civic-scale facade that communicates the cultural origin of koikuchi soy sauce, born from Higeta's 1697 wheat innovation.
Operation Flow: From the street, the headquarters reads as a single louvered surface; shifting shadows suggest wheat heads in wind. The variable-angle screen filters southwest sun and sightlines, improving comfort for occupants and neighbors. Inside, a central light court draws daylight deep into the narrow plan. Operable windows on the north/south walls and at the court enable seasonal natural ventilation, supported by BIM-based airflow simulations.
Patents: Copyrights belong to Nobuaki Miyashita, 2025.
Image Credits: Image #1: Photographer Nobuaki Miyashita, Higeta Building, 2025.
Image #2: Photographer Nobuaki Miyashita, Higeta Building, 2025.
Image #3: Photographer Nobuaki Miyashita, Higeta Building, 2025.
Image #4: Photographer Nobuaki Miyashita, Higeta Building, 2025.
Image #5: Photographer Nobuaki Miyashita, Higeta Building, 2025.