Project Name: o tokyo

Location: Tokyo, Japan

Design Team: ooc

Total Floor Area: 64.05 m²

Completion: 2025

Photography: Etsumo Hashimoto

Design Features:

Project - o tokyo, designed by ooc, stands as a profound exploration of the essence of material existence and an expression of distinctive spatial philosophy, located in Chuo Ward, Tokyo. This office and café sits in the Shintomi district, creating a creative venue open to the street and establishing a delicate balance between functionality and monumentality through innovative fixture design concepts.

The project's most compelling design achievement lies in its innovative "monumental fixture" design concept. The architect became interested in the latent beauty possessed by "meaningless" objects, including structures that have lost functional significance over time, stones existing unnoticed, and artificial objects gradually returning to nature over centuries. Defining the state where intention has disappeared and only physical form remains as "monument," the architect created a series of fixtures based on this concept. This design philosophy simultaneously achieves multiple functions, serving as core spatial elements, providing necessary functional support, and becoming vessels expressing the essential value of materials. The fixtures are composed of continuous combinations of stone and artificial materials, establishing a measured cadence that shapes the overall spatial expression and user experience.

The architectural narrative unfolds through a sophisticated fabrication process, responding to the unity of material characteristics and spatial concepts. The architect did not preset an overall form in the design, but advanced the design by understanding material properties while collecting materials. This method echoes the spatial concept where different objects coexist without context. When forming fixtures, architectural structures and details were reinterpreted and employed. This zigzagging design strategy maximizes the possibility of various elements coexisting in space, fully exploiting the inherent expressive potential of the materials themselves.

Material selection demonstrates contemporary design refinement and pure response to the essence of matter. The architect focused on materials themselves rather than their meanings or backgrounds, exploring the inherent value of matter as existence. The combination of different materials such as stone and artificial materials ensures the space's visual richness and conceptual integrity while maintaining a warm and inviting atmosphere. The integration of fixture system and space creates an environment where functionality and artistry coexist.

The spatial treatment demonstrates intimate relationship between creative experimentation and social function. As ooc's office and café open to the public, this space becomes a contemporary reinterpretation of a spatial prototype historically used to connect different creative realms, existing here as a threshold space where street, creators, and public meet. This open space creates the unique experience the client anticipates of freely expanding creative work. The spaces enclosed by fixtures sharpen awareness of contrasts between the everyday and the extraordinary, clearly juxtaposing visitors of various backgrounds and the conceptual objects they bring, while unexpected dissonance becomes the origin of creation through this contrast, creating an atmosphere where material forms freely coexist after context disappears, opening consciousness to the creative possibilities of the present moment.

The project's defining feature is its orchestrated material exploration strategy and spatial experiential value. o tokyo is located in the Shintomi district of Chuo Ward, serving as the firm's base while opening to the street, forming a unique environment where creative work and public exchange merge. However, establishing an appropriate interior-exterior relationship rather than simple transparency is necessary to maintain the independence of creative space while being open. The architect precisely responds to this demand through the continuous space created by monumental fixtures. This is architecture designed to enhance creative production quality, proving that in dense urban environments, architecture can create rich spatial experiences and creative possibilities through thoughtful design. The bond between architecture and city seamlessly integrates in a refined and balanced dialogue, creating meaningful spaces for working and perceiving the present moment. The meaning of objects changes with users and time, and this space will continue to evolve as various concepts and objects converge, amid these changes the architecture consistently directs human consciousness toward the creative act of "now."

Design Team - ooc, founded in 2022 by architect Takuma Hashimoto, is a comprehensive design practice based in Tokyo and Awaji Island, dedicated to creating creative works that can become social infrastructure. Today, under the leadership of founder and principal architect Takuma Hashimoto, the firm maintains a diverse yet focused team structure, operating from dual bases in Chuo Ward, Tokyo and Awaji City, Hyogo Prefecture.

Under Takuma Hashimoto's creative direction, the o tokyo project embodies the firm's core design principles and methodology. Hashimoto is a licensed first-class architect and representative director, born in 1993 on Awaji Island, who studied at the University of Hyogo, Kyoto Institute of Technology, and Vienna University of Technology, and pursued doctoral studies at the University of Tokyo, bringing international academic experience, and received professional training at nendo Design Office. He currently serves as part-time lecturer at the University of Hyogo, contributing to architectural education while maintaining an active design practice.

The firm's design philosophy centers on "creation plus social experimentation," believing that the process of how manufactured objects become social infrastructure is itself the core of design. Their design methodology emphasizes experimentally attempting mechanisms through which creativity transforms environments, exploring alternative design methodologies and visualization possibilities without being influenced by prevailing trends and existing frameworks. The firm's scope of services encompasses planning, design, construction, and supervision of architecture and interiors, planning, design, construction, and supervision of civil engineering and landscape, planning, direction, and design of exhibitions and installations, planning and design of furniture, products, and graphics, creative direction, real estate buying, selling, leasing, management, and operation, and management of directly operated stores, carefully addressing each project across scales and disciplines. The practice implements its design philosophy through self-operated projects such as o tokyo office and café, o awaji office and gallery, sugi no ie hotel, inaya shop, and howse sharehouse, creating unique irreplaceable spaces for users.

Notable achievements include registered capital of 8 million yen, holding first-class architectural office qualification registered by the Governor of Hyogo Prefecture, and practicing across multiple fields including architecture, interior, landscape, and product design. The firm's work has received in-depth coverage and analysis on professional media platforms, demonstrating deep understanding of material essence, continuous pursuit of spatial quality, and steadfast commitment to social value.

ooc has established a distinctive position in contemporary Japanese design through a diverse portfolio spanning architecture, interior, landscape, product design, and real estate operation, demonstrating a design approach that combines creative practice with social experimentation, exploring how manufactured objects evolve into social infrastructure, and committed to creating alternative design possibilities unconstrained by trends and frameworks.