Pure Semicircles Te Hoahoa o Roto Kura by Tetsuya Matsumoto

Pure Semicircles Te Hoahoa o Roto Kura by Tetsuya Matsumoto is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 A' Design Award Parahi in Hoahoa Roto Whare me te Whakaaturanga Competition Category.

ParahiRoto Whare· 2025

Pure Semicircles Te Hoahoa o Roto Kura

by Tetsuya Matsumoto

Client: Seigakusha Co., Ltd.

A' Design Award Parahi Winner in Roto Whare Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #169734

Visit Site View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Pure Semicircles Te Hoahoa o Roto Kura

Ko Pure Semicircles he hoahoa o roto mō tētahi kura akoranga tāpiri kei Ibaraki, Osaka, Hapani. Ka tukuna e te hoahoa nei he wāhi mā me ngā raina me ngā āhua iti rawa, kia āhei ai ngā ākonga ki te aro nui ki ā rātou akoranga. Ka arahi te kūwaha ki tētahi wāhi manuhiri hawheporowhita, kei reira tētahi whakaata e whakatakotoria ana ki runga i te raina waenganui, e whakaata ana i te āhua ka oti ai he porowhita katoa. Ko te tuanui he kōhatu rino kore-waikura kua ngaoko, ā, e whakamāramatia ana e ngā pūtake māramatanga raina. Ko te tipu me ngā pāraharaha rākau ka tāpiri i te mahana ki tēnei wāhi mā, ngāwari te ahua. E rua ngā rūma ako e mau ana i tētahi tēpu pokapū me ngā kaunga e whai ana i ngā matapihi.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Parahi

Ko Pure Semicircles Te Hoahoa o Roto Kura te toa o te A' Design Award Parahi, he whakaaetanga tino whai mana e hoatu ana ki ngā hoahoa kōeke e tohua ana mā te auaha, te mahi mōhio me te whakaaro hōhonu. Ko ngā toa Parahi he mahi pukenga e rite ana, he auaha mīharo, e whakatūturu ana i te wheako nui, te whakaaro me te mōhio-ā-ringa o ā rātou kaihoahoa. E tūmanakohia ana ko Pure Semicircles Te Hoahoa o Roto Kura he taonga whakanuia, whakamīharotia, aroha nui, he ngaio, he auaha hoki. Ko tēnei hoahoa i toa i te Parahi e whakauru ana i ngā tikanga pai rawa i te toi, te pūtaiao, te hoahoa me te hangarau, ā, he tino mīharo ki ngā taipitopito. Ka whakatutuki a Pure Semicircles Te Hoahoa o Roto Kura i ngā hiahia, ka pā ki ngā hiahia, ka whakaoho i ngā kare-ā-roto, ā, ka kume i te pākiki.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

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

Unique Properties: Pure Semicircles is a cram school located in Osaka. The school offers a pure space with minimal lines and shapes where the students can focus on their subjects. Greenery maintains a strong presence to provide a relaxing atmosphere and wood blinds help create warmth in a rather minimalist white space. The main design point is the semicircular entrance with ripples stainless steel ceiling reflecting the space and a mirrored wall in the median that completes the circle.
Dimensions & Packaging: Gross Built Area: 149.69sqm
W20330mm x D13230mm x H2470mm
Tags: Japan, school, education, students, ripple, Osaka, minimalist, reflection, students, office
Production Technology: The space was created using drywall techniques and mostly finished in wall cloth.
The ceiling is made with rippled stainless steel sheets. The semicircle reception space has a mirror in the median line that reflects it and completes the circular form. The lighting is secured through linear light sources in the middle of the stainless steel and around it as well. The study room is equipped with downlights.
Design Challenge: The creative challenge was mostly how to make a school fashionable in the eyes of teenage students, fulfil its functional duty, all of this in a relatively narrow space and a relatively limited budget. How to keep a space pure while still making it cozy. How to make it rich in materiality while keeping it minimalist and not distracting. The answer was by using unique materials such as the rippled stainless steel for the ceiling, mirrored walls, greenery, and wood blinds.
Research: Pure Semicircles design has two axes of research. The first one is aimed at guaranteeing an atmosphere where students can focus on learning while still enjoying the space and relaxing. The second one is aimed at visually creating a space that is attractive in a relatively narrow room that is surrounded by windows that overlook the bustling city outside. The quest was to find a middle between the two.
Inspiration: This design is inspired by the function of the space. Schools need to have spaces that provide an atmosphere where students can concentrate on their studies. But they also need to be cozy and offer relaxed and playful places. More than just study desks, schools need to become attractive and interesting to their main users, teenagers who are already building their lives into our contemporary society.
Project Duration: Project start: September 2024.
Construction starts: December 2024.
Project/Construction End: January 2025.

Location:
Ibaraki, Osaka, Japan.
Operation Flow: The entrance gives straight to a semicircular reception space doubled by a mirrored wall. The reception leads then to the consultation booth where parents, students and staff can talk. The other side is occupied by offices. In the middle the space opens to the study space with a central table and a counter on the window side. Another arched opening leads to the second study room which is a counter along the windows.
Team Members: Tetsuya Matsumoto
Image Credits: Image #1: photographer ©Stirling Elmendorf Photography, Pure Semicircles, 2025.
Image #2: photographer ©Stirling Elmendorf Photography, Pure Semicircles, 2025.
Image #3: photographer ©Stirling Elmendorf Photography, Pure Semicircles, 2025.
Image #4: photographer ©Stirling Elmendorf Photography, Pure Semicircles, 2025.
Image #5: photographer ©Stirling Elmendorf Photography, Pure Semicircles, 2025.