A renowned advocate for sustainability, Japanese architect Akio Hayashi champions the use of natural materials — especially timber — and emphasizes adaptation and preservation over building new. So when it came time for Tokyo-based SymbolPlus to renovate its own office in a Hayashi-designed (and -owned) building, the studio took a considered approach that retained much of the existing architecture while weaving in new elements that intentionally bolster its “rhythm, proportions and warmth.”

In the reception lobby, the SymbolPlus-designed sofa and chairs “act almost like sculptures within the quiet timber space,” says Satoshi Nobekawa. The shoji partition–inspired lighting fixtures above can be tilted to change the atmosphere of the room.

“We place great importance on the ‘memory’ of time embedded in buildings and materials,” says designer Satoshi Nobekawa of his studio, which he founded with Sho Watanabe in 2022. Occupying the second-level and mezzanine of the 23-year-old three-storey building, the studio’s restored homebase is a comfortable 76.3 square metres and includes a reception area, a generous shared main office, a kitchen and storage, each space expressing cohesion through restraint rather than overt intervention. 

The studio replaced an existing ladder with a permanent wood-block staircase to access the storage area in the mezzanine.

The original timber-clad ceiling and columns are complemented by natural materials that honour and promote traditional craftsmanship: To harmonize with the tone of the aged wood, red clay sourced from Ishikawa prefecture was hand-applied to the walls, entrance floor, kitchen and bathroom surfaces, and the staircase — a Jenga block assemblage that replaced a removable ladder leading to the mezzanine level. Skilled artisans adjusted the texture of the plaster in different areas to “balance functionality with expression,” says Nobekawa, noting the “rakusui” motif of Tosa washi (a lace-like pattern on the paper created by water drops) used on the staircase to improve traction while creating visual consistency.

An extra-large table in the main workspace serves as a shared desk for the studio’s employees, providing a spot for both collaborative and solo work.

Actual Tosa washi shows up elsewhere. Rescued from the disposal pile of a nearby supplier, the paper is used for shoji partitions that allow certain areas to shift between openness and privacy (closing off the meeting room, for example) and conceal shelving and equipment. It’s also used as diffusers for two pivoting shoji screen–inspired overhead lighting fixtures in the reception area; equipped with custom-made wooden gears, the horizontal wood-framed planes emit functional task lighting when flat or a soft glow akin to a lantern’s when tilted. Local carpenters handcrafted the all-wood joinery for the partitions and light fixtures, another aspect that marries past with present.

Salvaged Tosa washi panels were given new life as shoji screens throughout the office. Crafted by local carpenters using traditional joinery methods, the partitions slide smoothly on precisely carved grooves and frames.

“Traditional techniques are not just methods,” says Nobekawa. “They embody knowledge about materials, climate and time. Losing them would mean losing continuity between architecture and its cultural memory.”