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Press Release

Global Crest Kita Omura Car Dealer

A' Design Award 2025 Silver Winner in Architecture, Building and Structure Design

22 April 2025

Global Crest Kita Omura Car Dealer by Masakatsu Matsuyama
Global Crest Kita Omura Car Dealer by Masakatsu Matsuyama
Global Crest Kita Omura Car Dealer by Masakatsu Matsuyama
Global Crest Kita Omura Car Dealer by Masakatsu Matsuyama
Global Crest Kita Omura Car Dealer by Masakatsu Matsuyama

Masakatsu Matsuyama · CLIENT: Global Crest

Global Crest Kita Omura is a car dealership showroom in Omura, Nagasaki, Japan. The site is a rare flat area of farmland, with Omura Bay to the west and the Tatara Mountains to the east. Three sides of the building are fully glazed, so the surrounding landscape stays visible from inside. A large roof with four meter cantilevered eaves is supported by slim 75 millimeter square steel columns set on a four meter grid. The sheltered outer space is used for vehicle delivery and viewing. The total floor area is 705.68 square meters.

Press Kit

Unique Properties
Located in northern Omura City, a rare flat area in Nagasaki, the site is rural, with Omura Bay to the west and the Tatara Mountains to the east. The design harmonizes with the landscape, bringing outdoor beauty inside. A 4m grid space with 75mm steel columns supports a cantilevered roof. The glass facade connects vehicle handovers to the scenery, while the contrast between the thick roof and thin columns creates a delicate, tense atmosphere.
Dimensions & Packaging
Total floor area:705.68 square meters
Tags
Car sub-dealer, showroom, car, roof, steel, cantilever, horizontal, grid, glass architecture, Japan
Production Technology
To enhance energy efficiency, three sides of the building, except the west, are fully glazed. The steel columns are reduced to a minimal 75millimeter square solid steel, creating a seamless connection between the townscape and activities such as vehicle deliveries and viewings under the 4m cantilevered eaves, as well as negotiations inside. The combination of the thick roof and slim columns emphasizes the roof's surface, creating a delicate and tense atmosphere.
Design Challenge
The desired form was a gate-like frame extending from the building, commonly seen in dealerships, creating a sheltered space for vehicle deliveries and viewings without getting wet in the rain. The 4-meter cantilevered eaves on all sides serve the functions of vehicle delivery and viewing.
Project Duration
The project, located in Omura, Nagasaki, Japan, had a design period from May 2022 to May 2023 (12 months) and a construction period from June 2023 to January 2024 (8 months).
Operation Flow
In order for end users to purchase a car, sub-dealers provide detailed information about the car and encourage viewing and test drives.
Research
We value "interpreting the potential of the land and deriving an architectural form and lifestyle unique to that place" in our design practice. Since architecture is created in different locations and under varying clients and conditions, each solution inevitably differs. In this project, we proposed architecture that realizes the client's vision by interpreting the unique environment and transforming fixed perceptions to build a new future.
Inspiration
Traditionally, sub-dealers display cars for sale alongside the road, with shop buildings often placed at the back of the site, making them less visible from the outside. Although various cars can be displayed in front of main streets, tacky price tags and figures tend to catch people's eyes instead of the shop buildings. We aimed for architecture that acts as signage for the shop, eliminating the common impression of a typical sub-dealer.
Image Credits
Image#1:Photographer Toshihisa Ishii(Blitz STUDIO),GC Kitaomura,2024.
Image#2:Photographer Toshihisa Ishii(Blitz STUDIO),GC Kitaomura,2024.
Image#3:Photographer Toshihisa Ishii(Blitz STUDIO),GC Kitaomura,2024.
Image#4:Photographer Toshihisa Ishii(Blitz STUDIO),GC Kitaomura,2024.
Image#5:Photographer Toshihisa Ishii(Blitz STUDIO),GC Kitaomura,2024.
Patents
The copyright belongs to Matsuyama Architectural Design Office, 2024.

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