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This Office's Glass Walls are Made by a Bullet Train Windshield Manufacturer

The Balloon Glass Office, by architect Hiroshi Nakamura

By Rain Noe - October 18, 2023

in Interior Design

This Balloon Glass Office, by architect Hiroshi Nakamura, was designed for a co-working space. Because the single room is massive (1,500 sq. m., 16,146 sq. ft.) and Nakamura didn't want to break the sightlines, he partially divided the space with these large, dramatic, semicircular glass walls.

"The glass was produced using three-dimensional heat-shaping technology, by artisans who produce windshields for Shinkansen high-speed train cockpits."

The showstopper is the large conference room, which is completely enclosed:

It's not obvious from the photos, but the table was designed with an unusual feature:

"The round, 4m-diameter table seating 16 people, like the round table of King Arthur's knights, grants equal status to all personnel present. By giving the table a slight 8mm gradient toward its center, moreover, those attending naturally bend forward as they sit, a posture that motivates them to participate actively in the discussion.

"The resulting conference room has a lively mood, as if the heat of the discussion were inflating the room, balloon-like."

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Juan Cano

a year ago

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Talk about feeling like you are in a fishbowl at work. Beautiful but no thank you.

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Rob Wilkey

a year ago

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why does it feel so cramped and claustrophobic though?

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