Gold Architecture, Building and Structure Design · 2020
The PolyCuboid Office Building
- A' Design Award 2020 Gold Winner in Architecture, Building and Structure Design
- Awarded April 15, 2020
- CLIENT: TIA Co., Ltd.,
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 52,294
- Verification code 995EF8FE37 · Verify this award
About The PolyCuboid Office Building
The PolyCuboid is the new headquarter building for TIA, a company that provides insurance services. The first floor was shaped by the limits of the site and the 700mm diameter water pipe that is crossing the site underground limiting foundation space. The metallic structure dissolves into the diverse blocs of the composition. The pillars and beams vanish from the space syntax, projecting the impression of an object, while also eliminating that of a building. The volumetric design is inspired by TIA’s Logo turning the building itself into an icon representing the company.
The PolyCuboid Office Building by Tetsuya Matsumoto represents a distinguished contribution to contemporary commercial architecture, demonstrating sophisticated engagement with principles of volumetric composition and material expression. The work appears to draw upon traditions of geometric abstraction in architecture, where pure platonic forms are manipulated through operations of addition, subtraction, and interpenetration to create spatially complex assemblages. The architect seems to employ a strategy of contrasting opacity and transparency, with solid white volumes punctuated by strategic glazed apertures and dramatic carved voids that reveal warm illuminated interiors. The selection of materials speaks to contemporary concerns with durability, weather resistance, and maintenance efficiency while achieving refined aesthetic expression through subtle surface articulation. The horizontal panel joints create a measured rhythm across the facade, counterbalanced by the emphatic vertical dark element that anchors the composition and provides scalar reference. Perhaps most compelling is the treatment of the recessed void at the building's heart, where the intersection of volumes creates a sheltered outdoor space bathed in warm artificial light, suggesting a threshold between public and private realms. The work participates in ongoing architectural conversations about urban density, contextual response, and the expressive potential of straightforward construction systems. Viewers might contemplate how the building negotiates between asserting its distinct architectural identity and responding to the varied scale and character of its surrounding context.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- The PolyCuboid is the new headquarter office for TIA.co.ltd, a company that provides insurance services. The building is a composition of three imperfect cuboid shapes that interlace to build up the different spaces. The composition further results in an atrium linking the different functions on the different levels and providing the interior with a large amount of natural light. The metallic structure vanishes from the space syntax turning the building into a sculptural object.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Gross Built Area: 621sqm
W20825mm x D13405mm x H18680mm - Tags
- Japan, office, insurance, volume, minimalism, interlace, workplace, architecture, atrium
- Production Technology
- The building stand on a metallic frame structure for its four levels. The complex geometry of the distinct cuboids and their superposition creating half levels accentuates the complexity of the metallic frame that is concealed inside the invisible parts of the volumes. The exterior wall cladding is a polished composite cement panel called Miraia and produced by Nichiha. The interior finishes vary from wallpaper, tiles, black oxide steel, stainless steel, and many other materials.
- Design Challenge
- The main challenge of the design was the water service pipe crossing the site underneath in the middle, limiting the construction to half the area, and calling for cantilevered spaces in the upper levels to compensate. Instead of a conventional building with balconies, recovering to the use of interlaced cuboids results in peculiar spaces and connections that needed to be carefully managed. Privacy and interaction together with the daylighting had also major importance in the design process.
- Project Duration
- Project start: September 2017.
Construction start: December 2018.
Project/Construction End: December 2019.
Location: Designed and constructed in Himeji City, Japan. - Operation Flow
- The entrance gives on to the reception counter, elevator hall and a reception space furnished in sofas and coffee table. A raw of private desks for the employees behind an inside glass facade occupies most of the ground level. The Atrium at the other end connects the three first levels through dynamic resting spaces. the second level is occupied by the CEO office, a meeting room, and booth desks, while the third and forth level includes a gym, a recreational room and a dinning space.
- Research
- The interaction between three imperfect cuboid forms can create either an alteration of the form or a nonfunctional architectural space. the alteration happens mostly for technical reasons, such as parapet wall placements, ducts, or simply beam locations. How can space syntax be kept clear while saving the entity of each volume? And what kind of spatial and functional interactions could be created between them? Further, how can a volume identity be kept while using different materials.
- Inspiration
- The PolyCuboid design was inspired by the client initials, TIA, creating the three distinct volumes at first. The design process developed the volumes to the later abstract cuboid forms. The functionality and connection of spaces were inspired by a more dynamic and yet relaxing approach to work that the client want to implement in their headquarter.
- Image Credits
- Image #1: photographer ©Stirling Elmendorf, PolyCuboid, 2019.
Image #2: photographer ©Stirling Elmendorf, PolyCuboid, 2019.
Image #3: photographer ©Stirling Elmendorf, PolyCuboid, 2019.
Image #4: photographer ©Stirling Elmendorf, PolyCuboid, 2019.
Image #5: photographer ©Stirling Elmendorf, PolyCuboid, 2019.
Colors of The PolyCuboid Office Building
Get The PolyCuboid Office Building
Contemporary Architecture and Space Design
We create transformative architectural spaces that blend innovative form with purposeful function. From commercial offices to healthcare facilities, our award-winning designs elevate how people experience and interact with built environments. Let us bring your vision to life.
G0E23 Shop