KEIJI ASHIZAWA DESIGN

Lounge Ö is a shared space for people working across Otemachi, Marunouchi, and Yurakucho, located within the Shin-Kokusai Building. The project is part of a Mitsubishi Estate initiative that considers the wider Otemachi, Marunouchi, and Yurakucho area as a single workplace, supporting diverse ways of working while creating opportunities for interaction among the people who use the area.

More than 60 years after its completion, the Shin-Kokusai Building retains a distinct architectural presence shaped by time. The approach was to preserve and build upon the industrial character of the existing facade and exposed structure, while introducing a sense of comfort and hospitality that allows people to spend extended periods within the space.

The relationship between the lounge and the city was an equally important consideration. While retaining the existing facade, careful attention was given to how the interior is perceived from the street, so that even as a members-only facility, the lounge would remain open to its surroundings. Rather than turning inward, the activity within remains visible from the street, allowing the atmosphere of the lounge to extend beyond the facade.

The existing staircase, prominently positioned at the street corner, was treated not as a secondary circulation element, but as part of the spatial identity of the lounge. Visible through the facade, the interior takes on the familiar warmth and openness of a cafe, while giving the building a renewed presence within the surrounding streetscape.

The green of the facade draws from industrial colors traditionally associated with factories and machine tools. Set against the reddish-brown granite characteristic of Yurakucho, it introduces a subtle contrast that reflects the wider transformation gradually taking place across the area.

The interior was developed through an ongoing dialogue with Mitsubishi Estate and Media Surf Communications, which is involved in the operation of the lounge. Together, the team considered what this particular place needed to support. Working, resting, talking, gathering, reading, and eating are not separated into clearly defined zones. Instead, different atmospheres and degrees of comfort flow gently into one another, allowing people to choose how and where to spend their time according to their needs throughout the day.

Directly opposite the main entrance, bookshelves and a high table create a place to pause, read, or work. At the center of the space sits “Baiten,” a kiosk formed from perforated metal, with a low sofa positioned in front. Beyond this central area, desks provide settings for focused work, while curtains gently define more relaxed lounge areas. Rather than assigning each activity to a fixed zone, changes in furniture height, material, and light establish different scales and atmospheres within a continuous interior.

One of the defining elements of the lounge is a bookshelf wrapping three sides of the space, serving as a shared library and book exchange. New titles are introduced every three months, while users are also invited to exchange books, allowing the collection to evolve over time. Through books, the library creates opportunities for unexpected encounters with new ideas and, perhaps, with people one might not otherwise meet.

“Baiten” is a kiosk designed specifically for the project. It offers food and drinks, along with stationery and other everyday items, supporting the various activities that take place within the lounge. Designed as a modular system, its materials and finishes can be adapted to different settings and uses. Made primarily in steel, the system is conceived for use in other environments in the future.

Wood and steel are the principal materials used throughout the interior, from custom furniture to lighting structures. The warmth of wood is layered against the robust character of the existing architecture, while slender steel members give the furniture and lighting a lighter, more delicate presence at a more human scale. The contrast between the building’s substantial structure and these finer steel frameworks creates a new balance within the space. Steel’s magnetic properties are also used as a functional detail, allowing smaller objects to be attached and repositioned as needed.

Existing furniture is mixed with pieces designed specifically for the project, creating a varied landscape of places to sit and spend time. Different forms and seat heights invite different postures and ways of using the space, from focused work to more relaxed moments.

In the basement, the space takes on the character of a music bar, shaped around the experience of listening to high-quality sound. Its direct connection to the underground parking area, a circulation route unique to the building, lends the space the secluded atmosphere of a hidden speakeasy. Low lighting reinforces this sense of intimacy, while removable panels allow the space to shift between everyday use, gatherings, and events.

The project draws on the bold, raw quality of the existing architecture while introducing the warmth and comfort needed for people to linger. Open to the city, it allows different people and activities to coexist naturally within. As the space gradually evolves through use, Lounge Ö offers a new place to gather and spend time, responding to the changes unfolding around it in Yurakucho.