A new office design by IGArchitects in the Shibuya section of Tokyo embodies the harmony of a circle, orienting employees organically across a layout conceived to support coexistence. Without fragmenting the space, the concept is further contextualized by six scaleless rings installed as architectural fixtures that guide sightlines while both connecting and separating people. “We were drawn to this form because it embodies both centripetal and centrifugal forces—pulling toward the center while also pushing outward,” says IGArchitects founder Masato Igarashi. “We felt that this duality could serve as a catalyst for connecting people and functions, while also creating moments of distance and separation when needed.”
Both enclosing and opening, the circular steel fixtures impose upon the office to create not exactly walls and not exactly rooms. Without establishing separate defined zones, the spatial framework becomes more flexible, supporting a diversity of behavior in a contemporary context lined with uniform finishes of plaster, tile, and wood.
