Revolutionizing Office Spaces: Toshin PostPandemic

Tetsuya Matsumoto's Innovative Design for a Post-Pandemic World

The Toshin PostPandemic office space, designed by Tetsuya Matsumoto, is a testament to the power of design in responding to global crises. Inspired by solutions that have emerged in response to the pandemic, the design transcends the real world to step on SciFi spaces, creating a unique and functional space that caters to the needs of the clients' operational mode.

What sets this design apart is its ability to protect its users while guaranteeing uninterrupted functionality. The office space is divided into two entities by a lightning-shaped board, which alternates with glass shields along two parallel lines. This innovative design not only protects from droplets but also allows for air and document circulation.

The realization of this design is a testament to Matsumoto's ingenuity. Both the counter board and its duplicate hanging from the ceiling were made as furniture pieces, each separated and assembled onsite. The boards were finished in white veneer, their bases in black veneer, and the top of the counter board in special antiviral melamine veneer. The glass sheets were sandwiched using slits cut on both lower and upper boards and fixed using transparent caulking on the top board.

The office space, with a gross built area of 133sqm, is divided into two major entities: the guest area on the entrance door side and the staff area in the back. The undulation of the counter in a thunder shape creates separate subspaces that stretch from the entrance side to the other side of the room. The last consultation table is doubled by a video projection film for online meetings, adding to the functionality of the space.

The design was realized in Osaka City, Japan, from August to October 2020. The research conducted for this project aimed to ensure safety in a guest receiving office space during the global pandemic. The goal was to find a compromise between total safety of the users and the aesthetic values that the company cherishes. The result is a design that is not only safe and functional but also aesthetically pleasing and capable of surviving the time challenge.

The Toshin PostPandemic office space is a testament to the power of design in responding to global crises. Its innovative design has earned it the Golden A' Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award in 2021, a prestigious accolade granted to marvelous, outstanding, and trendsetting creations that reflect the designer's prodigy and wisdom.