This is a renewal of the commercial area of the Matsushita IMP Building, an office building in the Osaka Business Park. Since a previously planned metro station still exists under the building, we adopted a train station design motif for the renewal in the hope that the building would serve as a gathering hub for people, as was once planned. 

The round pillars extending across multiple floors throughout the facility are given a bold mortar-tone finish and metal framing to create the base for a colonnade-like space similar to what is found in a railway station. In the west atrium, the framing forms a series of arches like those of a train station arcade, and the rounded ceiling creates a sense of unity with the atrium.  Against this backdrop, the black, gold, and greenish-blue colors and stone wall/plum shape of Osaka Castle, which is located nearby, were incorporated into the furniture, fixtures, equipment, and molding to create an affinity with the origins of the land which dates back more than 400 years.   

Additionally, as the COVID pandemic created an environment in which many employees needed to work outside of the office, we sought to realize an office building that fits new work styles by creating workspaces in the common areas of the commercial section. Furniture that facilitates a wide variety of needs, from meetings to individual work, has been set up in locations throughout the common areas. Each piece of furniture incorporates creative design elements, such as a sofa with an attached table that can be extended into an L-shape, high-backed chairs that limit visibility and enhance concentration, and counter chairs with built-in coat hangers. By arranging plants like partitions, the comfort of the spaces was ensured. On weekdays, they can be used as shared workspaces, and on weekends and holidays, they can be used as a place for visitors to rest their tired feet.  

As a workspace where various people gather, including those working in the IMP Building itself and Osaka Business Park, as well as visitors, we hope this will become a place where new ways of working and communicating are born.