Mitsui & Co. Real Estate Ltd.＋Hibiya Central Lounge
The Hibiya District lies to the south of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, and is known for its many impressive buildings. Some of these are old, some new. Hibiya Central Building stands among them, completed in 1983. With its 24 above-ground storeys and 5 below, its east-west façade is in faintly pink granite, punctuated by small, regular windows, which form the building’s most identifying feature.

Tokyo is an ever-changing and metabolistic city, and it has a notably high rebuilding rate. How can we go against this trend to maximise the value of a building that has undergone significant aging? The design office FLOOAT was commissioned to renovate the Hibiya Central Building’s third floor café and office. They were careful tailor their alterations to the architectural peculiarities of the existing 40-year old high-rise.

FLOOAT reduced the interior to a skeleton, and created an entirely new relationship between the overall building frame and its infill elements. Surrounds of the windows were enlarged to resonate better with the overall space. They give the appearance of an extruded lattice, with a degree of thickness added to match the volume of the windows on the exterior façade. Sofas and low tables were installed nearby windows, allowing visitors to sit and watch things outside world through the windows, in a low-level, relaxed posture.

Partitions were used in various heights, with office furniture and floor levels also higher or lower, depending on type of work envisaged for the space. The result is a sense of randomness, or irregularity, and at the same time conscious control. The work areas feel like scattered islands, set with optimal rhythm and distance. Altogether the design elements work towards a sense of spatial dynamism. The arrangement also contributes to efficiency, with clarity in flow line and passageway aisles. The ceiling, by contrast, is rebuilt to follow the shape of the existing facilities, all of which are retained. The result is a harmony of function and aesthetic with a clean, simple look.

The floor spaces in front of the windows and those demarcating the meeting areas are gravelled. Borders are indicated in such a way as to give every area its own independence. The isolated element echo with each other, evoking the pleasing features of Japanese landscape garden with tea house. The office space is infused with a rare sense of tranquillity and peace, allowing for a wide range of use.