Higeta Building Tsev Ua Haujlwm Loj Rau Lub Hauv Paus Chaw Haujlwm by Nobuaki Miyashita

Higeta Building Tsev Ua Haujlwm Loj Rau Lub Hauv Paus Chaw Haujlwm by Nobuaki Miyashita is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award Kub in Tsim Vaj Tsev, Tsev thiab Qauv Tsev Competition Category.

KubVaj Tsev· 2026

Higeta Building Tsev Ua Haujlwm Loj Rau Lub Hauv Paus Chaw Haujlwm

by Nobuaki Miyashita

Client: Higeta Shoyu Co., Ltd.

A' Design Award Kub Winner in Vaj Tsev Category

40,488

Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #181285

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Higeta Building Tsev Ua Haujlwm Loj Rau Lub Hauv Paus Chaw Haujlwm

Higeta Building yog lub tsev xya txheej uas yog lub hauv paus chaw haujlwm nyob rau Nihonbashi, Tokyo, tsim rau ib lub tuam txhab ua kua ntses soy sauce uas tau nyob ntev los lawm. Lub tsev ua los ntawm cov pob zeb sib txuas nrog hlau (reinforced concrete) raug qhwv nrog cov txiag louver aluminum uas raug ua anodized, teeb nrug deb ntawm 300 mm. Cov kaum louver txawv sib txawv kom txo tau tshav ntuj sab qab teb hnub poob thiab tiv thaiv kev ceev ntiag tug, thiab lub npoo tsev ua rau nco txog ib daim teb nplej mog uas txav ua raws cua. Ib txheej xim dub tsaus rau phab ntsa ua rau cov duab ntxoov ntxoo pom tseeb dua thiab hais txog kev ua fermentation. Sab hauv, ib lub tshav puam qhib teeb pom kev nruab nrab coj tshav ntuj los rau hauv lub tsev nqaim thiab pab kom muaj cua ntws tuaj yeem raws caij nyoog.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Kub

Higeta Building Tsev Ua Haujlwm Loj Rau Lub Hauv Paus Chaw Haujlwm yog tus yeej ntawm A' Design Award Kub, ib qho kev lees paub muaj meej mom heev uas muab rau cov qauv tsim qib ib, zoo kawg nkaus thiab tshwj xeeb. Cov neeg yeej Kub yog cov khoom tsim tshiab heev, pom deb heev thiab ci ntsa iab uas qhia txog kev txawj ntse, kev txawj thiab lub zog ntawm cov kws tsim qauv. Higeta Building Tsev Ua Haujlwm Loj Rau Lub Hauv Paus Chaw Haujlwm xav tias yuav yog ib qho kev tsim uas tau txais kev qhuas ntau, tsim kev nyiam tshiab thiab loj uas ua rau muaj nqi tsis tau muaj dua. Cov qauv tsim yeej A' Design Award Kub no yog ib qho haujlwm zoo kawg nkaus thiab muaj kev hwm uas pab tau ntau thiab nthuav dav ciam teb ntawm kev kos duab, kev tshawb fawb, kev tsim qauv thiab thev naus laus zis. Higeta Building Tsev Ua Haujlwm Loj Rau Lub Hauv Paus Chaw Haujlwm ua rau muaj kev xav tau heev, txhawb kev mob siab, txhawb kev tsim tshiab thiab ua rau peb xav tsis thoob.

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.