A refined transformation of SYMBOLPLUS own studio grounded in craftsmanship and time
In Tokyo, SYMBOLPLUS has reimagined its own workspace inside a 23-year-old timber structure. The intervention responds to a moment when hybrid work challenges traditional notions of the office.
Rather than emphasizing novelty, the design focuses on continuity, creating a tactile and reflective environment rooted in the values of craft and time.
The renovation challenges conventional expectations of the modern office by integrating traditional Japanese carpentry and natural materials.
The SYMBOLPLUS design engages directly with the existing timber skeleton, allowing the inherited structure to inform every intervention. Rather than erasing the building’s age, the architects treated time as a collaborator.
Surfaces reveal traces of past use, while new layers are introduced with care and intention, creating a spatial rhythm that values continuity over contrast.
Discarded Tosa washi paper, often dismissed for its fragility, finds renewed strength through layering techniques that transform it into resilient shoji screens.
These partitions regulate light and privacy with quiet precision, mediating between openness and enclosure. Similarly, the ceiling’s rotatable wooden panels conceal and reveal lighting fixtures when needed, maintaining the room’s visual calm.
The absence of metal fittings in joinery reflects a mastery of traditional craftsmanship, celebrating the ingenuity of structural purity and manual skill.
The meeting area adapts through sliding screens that subtly shift spatial boundaries. These elements perform without spectacle, allowing the room to transform in rhythm with changing needs.
This quiet adaptability, achieved through the orchestration of movement and restraint, defines the project’s creative core. Every decision—whether material, structural, or spatial—favors long-term value and sensory depth over aesthetic immediacy.
Environmental consideration guided each step, prioritizing preservation over replacement. The original timber framework was retained, while natural and locally sourced materials were introduced.
Red earth plaster from Ishikawa, reclaimed washi, and regional cedar and cypress contribute to an atmosphere of warmth and authenticity. Finishes employ natural oils rather than synthetic coatings, highlighting tactile variation and embracing imperfection as an aesthetic and ethical stance.
SYMBOLPLUS OFFICE embodies an architecture that matures rather than ages. Its essence lies in the integrity of construction, the patience of craft, and the quiet dialogue between human activity and material presence.
All images courtesy of SYMBOLPLUS, shared with permission
Interested in publishing your work?
If you are interested in having your work featured on Visual Atelier 8, please visit our Submission page. Once approved, your work will be presented to our global audience of professionals and enthusiasts.
