Press Release
Silver A' Design Award in Interior Space and Exhibition Design Goes to Shibuya Tsutaya Commercial Complex by Tonerico:Inc.
The international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes Tonerico:Inc. for interior space and exhibition design
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 23, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ Shibuya Tsutaya Commercial Complex by Tonerico:Inc. has been granted the Silver A' Design Award in the Interior Space and Exhibition Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The recognition forms part of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
What the Silver A' Design Award Means
The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.
Regarding Shibuya Tsutaya Commercial Complex
Shibuya Tsutaya is a commercial complex located at Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo. The building was stripped back to its structural skeleton, and the bare spaces were unified in gray materials to form a neutral canvas. Each of the two basement levels and seven upper floors has its own character, yet every area is intentionally left unfinished to allow future change. Non-essential elements were removed to create clear sightlines and simple circulation. About 500 seats and digital directories serve visitors, and a large screen on the facade shows news and event information.
Award Record
With this recognition, Tonerico:Inc. is a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
About the A' Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award
The A' Interior Design Award is an international interior design competition recognizing good interior designs by interior designers and architects worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to interior designers, interior architects, architects and decorators from all countries. Typical entries include residential interiors, restaurants, hotels, offices, galleries and retail stores. The awarded interior designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/interior
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/174328
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/174328
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!174328
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/366128
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://www.tonerico-inc.com/
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Shibuya Tsutaya Commercial Complex
- Function
- Commercial Complex
- Category
- Interior Space and Exhibition Design
- Discipline
- Spatial Design
- Industry
- Architecture and Packaging & Retail
- Colors
- Dark Olive Green, Dark Slate Gray, Black, Dim Gray and Gray
- Images
- 5
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Tonerico:Inc.
- Recognition
- Silver A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #174328
Credits
- Team
- Hiroshi Yoneya, Ken Kimizuka, Kai Kitahara and Momo Suzuki
- Image Credits
- Main Image: Photographer Nacása & Partners Inc., SHIBUYA TSUTAYA, 2024.; Photographer Nacása & Partners Inc., SHIBUYA TSUTAYA, 2024.
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Shibuya TSUTAYA was stripped down to its structural skeleton, with the raw space unified in gray materials to create contrast with later-added elements and to preserve an “unfinished” canvas throughout the building. While each floor maintains its unique character, no area is ever fully designed—each is intentionally left open-ended. This deliberate unfinished incompleteness suggests the potential for future transformation.
- Inspiration
- Shibuya is a hub of creative energy—constantly evolving, and defined by its openness to change and its allure as an unfinished city. This nature inspired the project’s core concept: “leaving space unfinished.” The concept took years to develop, beginning with a full structural reset to explore the site's potential. Located directly at Shibuya Crossing, the design reimagines how the space can respond to the present moment and act as a new cultural platform.
- Research
- Shibuya is a town where people from many different countries, regions, and generations come and go. Therefore, we conducted thorough research on the surrounding area. We surveyed people in the town to learn what they currently need and what is lacking, and we reflected these findings in the floor layout. For example, many respondents noted a lack of places to rest, so we decided to include approximately 500 seats in the facility.
- Challenge
- Since visitors come from diverse countries and regions, the circulation plan needed to be intuitive and encourage proactive movement. Additionally, to facilitate information access within the facility, strategically placed digital directories provide updates using minimal text and strong visuals—benefiting users while also easing operational demands.
- Realization and Technology
- To maximize the floor area on every level, the core zones—including back-of-house spaces—were organized so that, even in their bare state, they serve as a neutral spatial backdrop. Alongside this structural skeletonization, the bare spaces were unified with gray materials to distinguish them from the elements inserted later, intentionally leaving a gray “canvas” throughout the space.
- Operation and Interaction
- Situated at the iconic Shibuya Crossing—where approximately 500,000 people pass daily—the building’s façade features a large LED screen designed for visibility from multiple angles. This screen continually broadcasts not only in-house event updates but also news and timely advertisements, transforming the architecture into a dynamic hub that connects the city, its people, and businesses.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project was launched in Tokyo on March 5, 2021, and opened in Shibuya, Tokyo on April 25, 2024.
- Specifications
- On the first floor, the entrance was widened by adjusting the angle of the sash doors, and a secondary entrance was added on the Center-Gai shopping street side along the diagonal axis. To accommodate the building's complex layout, comprising two basement levels and seven floors above ground, and its reliance on escalators for vertical circulation, all non-essential elements beyond regulatory requirements were removed to create a clear, connected spatial flow with uninterrupted sightlines.
- Keywords
- Shibuya, TSUTAYA, Renewal, Unfinished Space, Skeletonization, Flexible Space, Commercial Facility, Visual Connectivity, Dynamic Design, Evolving City
