For its new office in the Koenji section of Tokyo, architecture and design studio SO&CO. sought to explore restraint and decay. The nearly 2,000-square-foot workplace is lined almost entirely with concrete to accentuate the material’s capacity for adaptation and evolution. “We began by questioning what it means for a building to “die,” what defines a ruin, and what a new kind of office could be—one that people genuinely want to come to,” says SO&CO. CEO So Teruuchi. “We therefore aimed to create an architecture in which, even when only the structural frame remains, a new place and new possibilities can emerge. We hope that, in the future, the existing structure itself will become a condition for further renovations and new uses.”
Across three floors and a basement, the office exudes openness with minimal columns and expanded sightlines that open the interior to the city via steel-framed windows. A cantilevered catwalk even stretches outside to further unite the design—and workers—with the setting. “Rather than creating a closed place that excludes the surrounding buildings and the city, we wanted to create a workplace that embraces the city,” Teruuchi adds, “allowing people to enjoy the urban environment and, in a natural way, make it part of their everyday working experience.” In addition to minimalist workspaces, a cozy, informal meeting room punctuates the concrete backdrop with modernist furnishings and even a sculptural wood shelf echoing the interior geometry.
