Embraced in Recycled Steel Uyilo Lwangaphakathi Lweofisi by Nobuaki Miyashita

Embraced in Recycled Steel Uyilo Lwangaphakathi Lweofisi by Nobuaki Miyashita is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 Ibhaso Lesilivere le-A' Design Award in Uyilo lweNdawo yangaPhakathi kunye noMboniso Competition Category.

IsilivereIngaphakathi· 2025

Embraced in Recycled Steel Uyilo Lwangaphakathi Lweofisi

by Nobuaki Miyashita

Client: Kyoei Steel Ltd.

Ibhaso Lesilivere le-A' Design Award Winner in Ingaphakathi Category

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The Design

About Embraced in Recycled Steel Uyilo Lwangaphakathi Lweofisi

I-Embraced in Recycled Steel yindawo yangaphakathi yeofisi eyakhiwe ngentsimbi eyenziwe kwakhona ebonelelwe yiKyoei Steel. Intsimbi ye-angle, iirebars, kunye neebar ezisicaba zishiywe zibonakala ukugxininisa amandla nokuphathwa kwezinto ezisetyenzisiweyo. Izinto zesakhiwo ezidla ngokufihlwa ziba ngamanqaku aphambili obuhle. Imifanekiso yebarcode neye-QR code inwenwela kwiindonga ezigqityiweyo nakwiirele zezinyuko, idibanisa indawo nesazisi senkampani. Iilouvers zesilingi zentsimbi ziphethe izibane ze-LED ezingqalileyo nezingenamgca ozicaphukisayo eziqaqambisa le mifanekiso. Le ndawo yangaphakathi ibonisa amandla ezinto ezisetyenziswa kwakhona kwindawo yokusebenza yanamhlanje.

The Recognition

About the Ibhaso Lesilivere le-A' Design Award

Embraced in Recycled Steel Uyilo Lwangaphakathi Lweofisi ngumphumeleli weIbhaso Lesilivere le-A' Design Award, ukuqatshelwa okuhlonitshwayo ngokungaqhelekanga okunikwa imiyilo yomgangatho ophezulu, entle nechukumisayo. Abaphumeleleyo beSilivere ziimveliso ezikhazimlayo kakhulu nezidala kakhulu ezibonisa ubungcali obuphawulekayo, italente nobukrelekrele babayili bazo. Embraced in Recycled Steel Uyilo Lwangaphakathi Lweofisi iyathenjwa ukuba ibe ngumsebenzi omhle womzekelo, onobungcali obuphawulekayo nezinto ezintsha ezinzulu. Lo myilo uphumeleleyo weIbhaso Lesilivere le-A' Design Award yimveliso ebonakalayo kakhulu, ethandwayo enceda kwaye inyusa imida yobugcisa, inzululwazi, uyilo kunye nobuchwephesha. Embraced in Recycled Steel Uyilo Lwangaphakathi Lweofisi yimveliso enomona omkhulu kuyo evusa iinqwenelo, izisa iimvakalelo ezintle kwaye ivuselela ukumangaliswa nokumangala.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

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

Unique Properties: This office interior transforms Kyoei Steel’s recycled steel—angle steel, rebars, and flat bars—into a refined architectural expression. Typically hidden elements become aesthetic highlights, emphasizing material strength and texture. Barcode and QR code motifs extend across the space, visually linking to Kyoei Steel’s corporate identity. Lighting enhances these patterns, creating a dynamic interplay between recycled steel, technology, and light.
Dimensions & Packaging: Site Area: 108,045.44 Square meters
Building Area: 1,091.12 Square meters
Total Floor Area: 3,931.89 Square meters
Structure: RC
Number of Floors: 4 above ground
Maximum Height: 19.9 m
Eaves Height: 16.5 m
Floor Height: 3.9 m
Ceiling Height: 2.9 m
Tags: architecture, office, lighting design, recycled steel, sustainable design
Production Technology: The office interior features angle steel, rebars, and flat bars as exposed materials, emphasizing their structural and aesthetic qualities. Barcode motifs, derived from Kyoei Steel’s website, are embedded in wall finishes and stair railings, linking physical space to digital branding. The ceiling’s steel louvers incorporate billet-shaped seamless LED lighting, reinforcing a cohesive design language that blends recycled materials with innovative illumination.
Design Challenge: The primary challenge was redefining recycled steel’s role in architecture beyond its conventional industrial use. Integrating angle steel, rebars, and flat bars as visible elements required precise detailing and innovative finishing techniques. Additionally, balancing material authenticity with a refined aesthetic posed a design challenge. Regulatory constraints, production limitations, and ensuring harmony between raw steel textures and digital motifs, such as barcode patterns, demanded extensive prototyping and iterative design development.
Research: Type of Research: Applied Design Research
Objective: To explore the aesthetic and functional integration of recycled steel in office interiors.
Methodology: Material experimentation, spatial simulations, and lighting analysis.
Data Collection: Prototype testing and digital modeling.
Participants: Architects, engineers, and Kyoei Steel stakeholders.
Results & Insights: The research highlighted the potential of exposed steel as a design element, demonstrating its structural beauty and reinforcing corporate identity. The study advanced sustainable interior design, influencing material reuse practices in industrial architecture.
Inspiration: The design embodies the lifecycle of steel recycling while visually integrating Kyoei Steel’s digital identity. Barcode and QR code patterns, inspired by the company’s website, appear throughout the space, symbolizing the transformation of raw materials into structured design. By exposing and celebrating recycled steel, the project creates a unique spatial narrative, merging industrial heritage with a contemporary digital aesthetic.
Project Duration: The project commenced in early 2022 in Yamaguchi, Japan, with design and planning phases focused on integrating Kyoei Steel’s identity into the architecture. Construction began in mid-2023, aiming to unify office functions while enhancing operational efficiency and employee engagement. The office was completed in early 2024, creating a sustainable workspace that embodies the company’s commitment to steel recycling and innovation.
Operation Flow: The office interior integrates barcode and QR code motifs, linking the space to Kyoei Steel’s corporate identity. These patterns, expressed in wall treatments and stairwell designs, create an interactive experience, guiding movement through the space. The ceiling’s steel louvers diffuse light while reinforcing the visual continuity of barcode-inspired elements. This design transforms an industrial material narrative into a contemporary, high-tech environment.
Patents: N/A
Team Members: N/A
Image Credits: Image #1,#2 : Photographer Nobuaki Miyashita Variations, 2024
Image #3,#4,#5 : Photographer Sato Kenta, Variations, 2024.