Press Release
Obayashi Corporation Is Honored with the Golden A' Design Award for Yamaha Corporation Headquarters Head Office in Architecture, Building and Structure Design
Obayashi Corporation of Obayashi acknowledged for architecture, building and structure design by the international grand jury of the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 19, 2025 /DesignNewswire/ Yamaha Corporation Headquarters Head Office by Obayashi Corporation of Obayashi, designed for Yamaha Corporation, has been granted the Golden A' Design Award in the Architecture, Building and Structure Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The award was conferred within 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 evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
The Golden A' Design Award Explained
The Gold A' Design Award is granted to designs that demonstrate a high level of innovation and a significant impact on their intended audience. Recognized as a major achievement by the A' Design Awards, these designs are characterized by their visionary approach and the exceptional skill of their creators. Winners of the Gold A' Design Award are noted for their ability to push the envelope in art, science, design, and technology, delivering solutions that not only meet but exceed expectations. These designs serve as benchmarks for excellence, encouraging further innovation and inspiring future generations of designers.
More About Yamaha Corporation Headquarters Head Office
Yamaha Corporation Headquarters is an office building in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka, Japan. The twelve-story steel structure rests on a seismic isolation system and reaches a maximum height of about 59 meters. A symmetrical double-skin curtain wall stands on a stable podium and emphasizes verticality. A large overhanging volume at the lower level links the new building to the existing one and allows smooth movement. A pilotis space, a two-story atrium and a planted upper terrace support interaction. Ventilation windows provide natural airflow.
About Obayashi Corporation
Obayashi Corporation provides all kinds of buildings such as offices, condominiums, commercial facilities, factories, hospitals, schools, and more for the varied needs of our customers and society. We have completed many projects emblematic of the era and culture. In response to the social challenge of carbon neutrality in recent years, we are promoting initiatives such as environmentally responsible building construction, including wooden structures and interiors, and ZEB (Zero Energy Buildings), and eco-friendly construction using low-carbon material and fuel.
About Obayashi
Domestic Construction Business (Building Construction and Civil Engineering)/ Overseas Construction Business/ Engineering Business/ Real Estate Development Business/ Green Energy Business
Award Record
With this recognition, Obayashi Corporation of Obayashi is a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
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/170181
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/170181
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!170181
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/361571
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://www.yamaha.com/ja/news_release/2024/24071101/
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
- Yamaha Corporation Headquarters Head Office
- Function
- Head Office
- Category
- Architecture, Building and Structure Design
- Discipline
- Spatial Design
- Industry
- Architecture
- Colors
- Cornflower Blue, Royal Blue, Dark Slate Blue, Midnight Blue and Steel Blue
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Yamaha Corporation
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Obayashi Corporation
- Country
- Japan
- Brand
- Obayashi
- Recognition
- Golden A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2024 - 2025
- Design ID
- #170181
Credits
- Team
- Hiroshi Satake, Kenji Matsuoka, Rei Sato, Hirofumi Ueda, Kazuhiro Yasufuku and Yuya Kimura
- Image Credits
- Image #No1-5: Photographer Naomichi Sode (SS Co., Ltd)
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- This building, located in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan serves as the global headquarters of Yamaha Corporation, a renowned manufacturer of world-class musical instruments. The main feature of this building is the connection with the existing building through a large overhanging volume at the lower level that allows for smooth traffic. This network-form design not only enhances employee interaction but also promotes brand communication and organizational synergy.
- Inspiration
- As the culmination of a reorganization plan that has been underway since 2007, this project relocated the aging functions of the existing Yamaha head office to the east wing in the center of the facility and consolidated them into a compact office located in the city center, while strengthening collaboration with other buildings. The client expressed a variety of requests for the project, including brand image expression, high environmental performance, and a highly efficient workplace.
- Research
- In the new normal office design of the after-corona era on the standard floor, ventilation windows were installed to ensure natural ventilation in case of emergency. To verify the effectiveness of this ventilation window in the interim period and the effect of improving the office temperature and humidity environment, a fluid analysis was conducted for the prevailing winds on the site. Through this approach, we aim to create an office space that is both comfortable and safe. In addition, in order to minimize the negative impact of the building on the neighboring environment after its construction, we conducted a shading simulation and a wind environment simulation.
- Challenge
- This describes structural planning solutions. A base isolation structure ensures business continuity. The steel-framed superstructure has earthquake-resistant columns for openness and rigidity. Cantilever beams support the core-side span, while independent columns with low-friction bearings hold third-floor overhangs. Large beams manage stresses, and the SRC foundation allows smooth stress transmission. Column heads are placed within the eaves for better continuity at the entrance.
- Realization and Technology
- The building showcases a symmetrical double-skin curtain wall on a stable podium, symbolizing its head office role while reflecting the sky and emphasizing verticality. The lower section features a dynamic pilotis space and a two-story atrium, with an upper terrace that includes a wood deck and plantings for enhanced connectivity. Inside, Yamaha's philosophy is evident through a monochrome color scheme, varied materials, diverse ceiling shapes and biophilic design.
- Operation and Interaction
- The office planning was based on the ABW concept of encouraging employees, the end-users, to work autonomously. The goal was to create a workplace that is worth coming to work in by providing a variety of seats and locations and a highly functional environment to enhance engagement. In addition, advanced technologies such as the Yamaha Web Conference System were adopted to enable smooth transmission and collaboration from the head office to all domestic and overseas offices and plants.
- Project Duration and Location
- Location: Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka, Japan Construction period: October 2022 - June 2024
- Specifications
- Location: Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka, Japan Use: Office (Headquarters) Construction period: October 2022 - June 2024 Site area: 43,448.51m2 Building area: 2,833.26m2 Total floor area Number of floors: 12 floors above ground tower building 1st floor Maximum Height: 59.023m Structure: Steel construction, Seismic Isolation
- Keywords
- Architecture, office, headquarters, Yamaha, Obayashi Corporation, seismic isolation, ZEB, natural ventilation, piano, Japan
