ASOOM Shimbashi

Office as a Home
At the heart of this project lies the philosophy of “Office as a Home.” It is a proposal for a next-generation compact office by a Japanese homebuilder. An office that offers the comfort of a home, and a home that functions like an office. A space that embraces everything: living, working, conversing, eating, and resting. We have realized this space in the heart of the city.
Residential Elements and Texture
This space is defined by its residential-inspired structure and warm, tactile materials.
・The configuration of the irori hearth and courtyard, symbols of gathering in Japanese homes, creates new spaces within the office. Since ancient times, the irori served central roles in Japanese life: heating, cooking, and lighting. Its role has been reimagined within the office as a communal plaza where people gather like family, fostering conviviality and communication.
In Japan's narrow, elongated residential spaces, the courtyard served as a “floating natural painting in the city” – a tranquil space ensuring ventilation and light within confined structures. On the 3rd-floor office level, every desk position is designed to offer a view filled with greenery. This carries forward the courtyard's spatial element of allowing greenery to be felt even within compact spaces.
・Furthermore, Japanese homes have traditionally used noren curtains and fusuma sliding doors to softly zone spaces. In the basement common area, mechanisms like sheer curtains and bookshelves allow flexible partitioning to adapt to diverse scenarios like events or reading spaces.
・Materials touching hands, feet, and bodies were selected for comfort, enveloping users like a home. Table edges incorporate turned wood offcuts, ensuring functionality like smooth drawing while achieving a frame-like design and soft tactile feel. Motifs inspired by natural materials like hemp, rattan, and wood, scattered throughout the space, radiate a rustic beauty.
A New Kind of Workplace
A place to work while living, a workplace that enables “working as if you were living.”
Office as a Home ―it is a new form of office that brings warm everyday life to those living in the city.