Gold Architecture, Building and Structure Design · 2025
Stacked Crystal Form Office and Factory
- A' Design Award 2025 Gold Winner in Architecture, Building and Structure Design
- Awarded April 15, 2025
- CLIENT: Daishinku Corp
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 82,395
- Verification code CA1F6A5976 · Verify this award
About Stacked Crystal Form Office and Factory
Stacked Crystal Form is an office and factory building that brings head office and production functions together in one smart factory. The exterior is composed of layered rectangular volumes of varying thicknesses, inspired by stacked crystal chips. The same motif continues inside the building. Each floor is arranged around a central atrium, and a skylight brings natural light to every level, supporting openness and contact between workers. The line lighting follows the cutting angles of crystal chips. The building has five floors and a steel frame structure.
Nobuaki Miyashita's Stacked Crystal Form Office and Factory represents a compelling contribution to the ongoing discourse surrounding the integration of manufacturing and administrative functions within singular architectural statements that transcend mere utilitarian requirements to achieve formal and aesthetic distinction. The design appears to engage thoughtfully with traditions of industrial modernism while introducing contemporary innovations in massing strategy, material expression, and spatial organization that elevate the building typology beyond conventional expectations. The architect seems to have conceived the structure as a crystalline formation, with each successive floor plate of the tower element projecting forward to create a dramatic stepped silhouette that transforms the prosaic office block into sculptural presence. This massing approach may reference geological stratification or the layered transparency of mineral crystals, establishing visual metaphors that connect human enterprise with natural processes of accumulation and formation. The technical achievement evident in the precise execution of the ribbed aluminum cladding system demonstrates considerable command of contemporary construction methodologies, with each horizontal band maintaining consistent rhythm while accommodating the complex geometry of cantilevered projections. The restrained material palette, limiting itself primarily to variations of white and gray metallic surfaces punctuated by dark glazing bands, suggests an aesthetic philosophy valuing clarity, precision, and the inherent beauty of well-detailed industrial materials. The ground-level transparency achieved through extensive glazing invites visual connection between interior activities and the surrounding landscape, potentially fostering engagement between workers and natural elements. One might consider how the warm amber illumination at the entrance creates a welcoming threshold moment within the otherwise cool chromatic environment, perhaps suggesting the architect's attention to human psychological comfort within the industrial context. How might this design encourage us to reconsider the possibilities for dignity, beauty, and inspiration within spaces dedicated to productive enterprise?
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- This project integrates Daishinku’s head office and production functions into a smart factory. The exterior design is inspired by stacked crystal chips, with layered rectangular volumes of varying thicknesses representing Daishinku’s history of technological advancement and its future growth. The shifting shadows created by the random arrangement of these volumes recall how crystal subtly deforms under pressure and temperature changes, yet retains a stable frequency.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Site Area: 17,225.61 square meter
Building Area: 3,563.18 square meter
Total Floor Area: 10,243.16 square meter
Number of Floors: 5 above ground
Maximum Height: 27.73 m
1st Floor Height: 5.4 m
2nd Floor Height: 5.1 m
3rd Floor Height: 4.5 m
4th Floor Height: 4.5 m
5th Floor Height: 4.4 m
Structure: Steel Frame - Tags
- architecture, office, lighting design, smart factory, quartz device
- Production Technology
- The office building's lighting design is inspired by the angle of crystal chip cuts. The thickness of a chip determines its resonant frequency, while the angle affects its stability. Based on the 35.15-degrees AT-cut, 38-degrees CT-cut, and 52-degrees DT-cut, the line lighting incorporates these angles to create an innovative lighting environment that embodies the identity of Daishinku. The design integrates circadian rhythm-based color temperature variations to enhance intellectual productivity.
- Design Challenge
- Just as a quartz chip’s thickness and angle define its frequency characteristics, the architecture was designed by layering volumes of varying thicknesses. This innovative approach integrates technology and design, creating a space that embodies the brand of Daishinku.
- Project Duration
- This project was completed in 2024 and is currently in operation. The construction site is located in Kakogawa, Hyogo, adjacent to Daishinkuʼs existing Central Laboratory. Designed as a smart factory, it integrates advanced production systems and energy-efficient technologies to minimize environmental impact.
- Operation Flow
- This project is a smart factory that integrates Daishinku’s advanced technology with innovative design. Each floor is organized around an atrium pierced through the center, with natural light from the skylight spreading across each layer. This not only enhances energy efficiency and openness but also stimulates encounters and communication among workers on different floors.
- Research
- Research Objective: Integrating smart factory concepts with architectural design.
Result: The spatial design reflects the thickness and angle of quartz chips, visualizing the identity of Daishinku.
Impact: This innovative approach enhances energy efficiency and intellectual productivity. - Inspiration
- Just as the thickness and angle of a crystal chip determine its specific frequency, the architecture layers volumes of varying thicknesses to shape the space. Inspired by the physical properties of crystal, the design extends the motif of stacked crystal chips throughout the building’s exterior and interior, visualizing the identity of Daishinku. The integration of architecture, interior, and lighting design creates a space where technology and design harmonize.
- Image Credits
- Image #1-#5: Photographer Nobuaki Miyashita, Variations, 2024
- Patents
- N/A
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G0E2 ShopGrand Interview about Stacked Crystal Form Office and Factory
The lighting design was directly inspired by the precision angles of quartz crystal cuts—AT (35.15°), CT (38°), and DT (52°)—which determine the vibration frequency of each oscillator. By translating these exact angles into the ceiling lighting geometry, we created a rhythm of light that visually embodies Daishinku’s core technology. The intersection of light lines replicates the wave propagation inside a crystal, producing a luminous environment that resonates with scientific precision.
The atrium functions as a vertical communication hub connecting all departments. Its openness encourages visual interaction and cross-disciplinary dialogue, reflecting Daishinku’s philosophy of “synchronization.” The crystalline void serves not only as a source of daylight but as a metaphor for transparency and unity within a company that values precision and collaboration.
We studied the layered structure of quartz chips and translated their stacked precision into architectural volumes. Each layer represents a “chip,” slightly offset to evoke growth and frequency modulation. The varying thicknesses correspond to product diversity, creating a sculptural massing that mirrors microscopic precision on an urban scale.
The staggered volumes cast shifting shadows that change throughout the day, echoing how crystals deform microscopically under frequency load. This dynamic facade symbolizes Daishinku’s continuous evolution—an architecture that breathes with light, much like the vibration of a quartz oscillator.
The design integrates IoT-based production lines and data visualization systems within a spatially open layout. Transparency between work zones and research areas promotes innovation and efficient feedback loops. This coexistence of precision engineering and human creativity reflects the future of smart manufacturing environments.
The lighting follows circadian rhythm principles—color temperature shifts from 3000K in the morning to 5000K during active hours, returning to warmer tones toward evening. This gradual modulation supports biological alignment, enhances concentration, and reduces fatigue. The system merges biophilic design with scientific precision, fostering both health and productivity.
Located adjacent to the existing Central Laboratory, the new headquarters establishes a seamless operational flow. The alignment of circulation and logistics routes allows research outcomes to be directly applied to production. This physical proximity reinforces intellectual synergy—transforming two facilities into a single, integrated innovation ecosystem.
Exterior materials were selected to manipulate light reflection similar to the refractive behavior of quartz. The use of finely ridged aluminum panels and matte glass diffuses light gently, creating layered luminosity. This interplay of reflection and diffusion reinforces the architectural metaphor of a crystal structure at macro scale.
As both headquarters and production facility, the building required a single identity. The stacked crystal form became the unifying language—expressing corporate solidity while maintaining lightness. Office transparency and factory precision coexist under one geometric order, symbolizing the alignment of creativity and technology.
Receiving the Gold A’ Design Award validated the project’s ambition to merge science and architecture. It reaffirmed that industrial facilities can transcend functionality to express corporate philosophy. This recognition motivates me to continue designing architecture that translates invisible technologies into spatial and emotional experiences.