Silver Interior Space and Exhibition Design · 2026
Metoa Ginza Showroom
- A' Design Award 2026 Silver Winner in Interior Space and Exhibition Design
- Awarded April 15, 2026
- CLIENT: Metoa Ginza
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 18,691
- Verification code 07E53A24AD · Verify this award
About Metoa Ginza Showroom
This is a space themed around the encounter between cutting-edge technology and people. Through the exhibits of each business, technology and art meet, and people meet those exhibits. People connect through the cafe, and a community is born. As these encounters continue to connect, they will remain in people's memories and give them a favorable impression of the facility. The two-layered honeycomb panels surrounding the elevator create a flower-like pattern when one of the honeycombs is rotated 90 degrees. This conveys the message that technology will connect to create a happier world.
Shigeru Kubota's Metoa Ginza Showroom exemplifies the refined sensibility of contemporary exhibition architecture where commercial function and aesthetic contemplation achieve harmonious synthesis through disciplined material selection and spatial choreography. Working within traditions that trace lineage to both Japanese spatial philosophy and European industrial modernism, this interior environment transforms the conventional showroom typology into an experiential destination where visitors encounter carefully orchestrated transitions between zones of activity and repose. The compositional intelligence manifests most dramatically in the ceiling treatment, where a precisely delineated rectangular void exposes the building's mechanical infrastructure, transforming what might conventionally be concealed into a feature of visual interest—a gesture that speaks to principles of material honesty championed by modernist thought while introducing welcome textural complexity within an otherwise minimal envelope. The perforated metal screen partition demonstrates sophisticated understanding of how semi-transparent architectural elements can simultaneously divide and connect spatial zones, its rhythmic circular apertures catching ambient illumination to produce an effect reminiscent of filtered natural light through traditional screen elements, now rendered in contemporary metallic vocabulary. Chromatic restraint allows material qualities to emerge as primary expressive vehicles: the warmth of natural timber dining surfaces against cool cement-toned volumes, the industrial patina of steel pendant supports against immaculate white planes, the singular punctuation of gold-hued signage against neutral grounds. This environment invites consideration of how commercial architecture might aspire beyond mere functional accommodation toward the creation of memorable spatial experiences that engage visitors through careful attention to light, material, and proportion.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Metoa Ginza is Mitsubishi Electric's showroom, designed to showcase its 12 businesses. In order to introduce various technologies from home appliances to space, medical, and infrastructure, in a limited space, we proposed a layout with a community cafe on the first floor and exhibition spaces on the second and third floors, where events are held four times a year to showcase the 12 businesses. The exhibition was designed to be like a gallery, with the concept of Cutting-edge Technology and art.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- The showroom covers a total area of approximately 900 square meters across three floors. The first floor is primarily dedicated to a cafe area, while the second and third floors are allocated for exhibition spaces.
- Tags
- Mitsubishi Electric, Event space, 100th anniversary, Corporate exhibition, Communication space, Corporate museum, Corporate brand promotion
- Production Technology
- In addition to design, we were heavily involved in overall branding from a comprehensive production perspective and worked to raise awareness by unifying the design of the naming, logo design, key visuals, main videos, uniforms, goods, and other elements. We also requested the cafe on the first floor to develop a menu in accordance with Mitsubishi Electric's event and conducted unified event promotions on all floors.
- Design Challenge
- The huge honeycomb panels surrounding the elevator are double-layered, and when the honeycomb panels on the back side are rotated 90 degrees and stacked, a flower pattern is created, symbolizing the overlap of technology brings happiness to people. The structure piercing through three floors was difficult to realize, but it was completed by dividing the hexagons into parts and connecting them together. The translucent white color shines in the light, brightly expressing people's happiness.
- Project Duration
- This project began in Tokyo in October 2014 and was completed and opened on March 31, 2016. It closed on August 4, 2025.
- Operation Flow
- Metoa GINZA is Mitsubishi Electric's showroom with a cafe on the 1st floor and exhibition spaces on the 2nd and 3rd floors, where exhibitions have been changed 4 times a year. Rather than simply displaying products, the showroom collaborates with artists to create an experience that can be enjoyed as art. Over the past 10 years, 6 million people have visited here, which has established itself as a place for new discoveries. After closing, the showroom will tour the country as the event, Metoa.
- Research
- Mitsubishi Electric is involved in various businesses, including home appliances, elevators, space, robotics, medical equipment, and infrastructure. To appeal these businesses, the company went beyond simply displaying its products and incorporated the perspectives of artists to express its technologies as works of art, creating new experiences and positive impressions. Achieving this required understanding and decision-making on the part of the company through research and persuasion.
- Inspiration
- A place, theme of meeting people, based on the concept of Touch of Advancement. Each business's exhibition brings technology and art to meet people and the cafe brings people to create a community. These are connected and the design conveys the message: technology brings happiness to people. The two-layer honeycomb panels surrounding the elevator create a flower-like pattern when one side is rotated 90 degrees. It messages that technology will come together to create a happier world.
Colors of Metoa Ginza Showroom
Design Interview about Metoa Ginza Showroom
My focus is on how to showcase services, products, and exhibits in the most beautiful, engaging, and spectacular way, and then refining that vision into a structurally sound and elegant design. I believe that the truly exceptional is born only when every single element works in perfect harmony.
Our goal was to grow Mitsubishi Electric's fan base, maximize touchpoints with the public, and sustain that engagement over time. To achieve this, we developed everything from the initial planning and concept to naming, logo design, and immersive video experiences. We decided to host four major exhibition events a year, aiming to create a space that offers fresh excitement with every visit. As a result, we successfully attracted one million visitors in just two years.
Rather than simply displaying Mitsubishi Electric products, we intentionally avoided conventional product showcases. Instead, we invited artists to reinterpret the company's diverse technologies through their unique lenses. By fusing technology with art, we curated exhibitions that resonated deeply with the intellectual curiosity of the people visiting Ginza.
Rather than simply displaying Mitsubishi Electric products, we intentionally avoided conventional product showcases. Instead, we invited artists to reinterpret the company's diverse technologies through their unique lenses. By fusing technology with art, we curated exhibitions that resonated deeply with the intellectual curiosity of the people visiting Ginza.
Receiving such a prestigious award gives me the confidence to continue embracing new challenges with even greater passion in the future.
We spent about six months structuring the foundational concepts, including the overall philosophy, facility operation plans, target audience selection, and event programming. Following that, while moving forward with the interior design, we collaborated with a diverse group of creators to develop the naming, logo design, event details, cafe procurement, menu curation, and even original merchandise and uniform designs. The entire project took about a year and a half to complete.
On the first floor, we integrated a collaboration cafe with Mitsubishi Electric, while the second floor was designed as an event space capable of utilizing immersive video, and the third floor as a flexible space for various exhibitions. An elevator pierces through all three floors, allowing visitors to move freely between them. By applying a cohesive design language throughout the entire building, we ensured that visitors instantly recognize the space as METoA.
This is a dedicated event space for Mitsubishi Electric—a place designed to share inspiring insights and foster meaningful communication with people.
Mitsubishi Electric operates across a vast array of business sectors, all powered by technologies that truly represent Japan’s cutting-edge capabilities. I felt that rather than taking these technologies for granted, helping people genuinely understand them would amplify their appreciation for the company's excellence and reliability. In particular, fields like the space sector—such as satellite manufacturing—and robotic arm development involve complex technologies that are naturally difficult for the general public to grasp. That is why I believed it was crucial to communicate their value through a completely fresh perspective.
I have been deeply inspired by the architectural philosophies of Peter Zumthor, Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe, and Fumihiko Maki.
Since METoA is located in Ginza—Japan’s premier commercial district—our primary target shifts depending on the event, drawing homemakers on weekdays and families on weekends. For instance, when hosting a space-themed exhibition, our main focus shifts to children.
If we had taken the conventional route, this place might have easily become just another typical showroom—a space to display manufacturer products and explain their features. What sets METoA completely apart, however, is that we challenged ourselves with a new approach by fusing Mitsubishi Electric's technologies with art. We even collaborated with the cafe to develop specialized menus that tied into each exhibition, building a cohesive brand image throughout the entire facility.
METoA is an acronym for 'Mitsubishi Electric Touch of Advancement,' embodying the idea of experiencing and touching Mitsubishi Electric’s technologies firsthand within this space. The logo design features an overlapping of 'ME'—which carries a double meaning of both 'Me' (the individual) and 'Mitsubishi Electric'—and 'ToA.' This visually conveys the message of 'me' encountering Mitsubishi Electric here. This core narrative of encountering, overlapping, and connecting is also directly reflected in our exhibitions, where technology and art come together.
While I never sat down to count them all, the complete set of planning documents easily came out to around 200 pages. Beyond that, we also crafted architectural models and detailed mock-ups to thoroughly test and refine our ideas.
Inside METoA, the pattern on the acrylic walls enclosing the elevator is highly unique. We arranged honeycomb-structured acrylic panels in two layers, rotating one layer by 90 degrees. When overlapped, a beautiful, flower-like pattern emerges here and there. This grid geometry carries a deeper message: when technology overlaps with technology, happiness is born.
For this project, I collaborated with a diverse group of professionals, including planners, graphic designers, video production teams, fashion designers, cafe operators, and numerous artists.
For this project, we took on the entire scope of design—from the initial business concept of the showroom to the interior design, naming, graphics, and event programming. It required a unique capability that goes far beyond the traditional boundaries of design: the ability to translate a broad creative vision into precise, technical execution.
For our research and analysis, we conducted a study on the demographics and behaviors of people visiting Ginza in order to narrow down our target audience.
At the time, Mitsubishi Electric was broadly divided into eleven different business sectors, and our challenge was to communicate the value of all of them to the public. To overcome the constraints of our limited space, we decided to host four major exhibitions each year. By doing so, we could gradually showcase every single business sector over time—not through conventional displays, but by highlighting Mitsubishi Electric’s technologies through unique collaborations with artists.
This project was completed ten years ago, and after a successful decade of operation, the facility has recently closed its doors. Despite it being a past project, we were personally invited by the A' Design Award team, which inspired us to enter. For us, this was the project where we were most deeply involved in the client’s business strategy, and where our design vision was most fully realized. Looking back, its ten-year track record was truly remarkable, and something we take immense pride in. Even though the closing had just been finalized, we decided that bringing this achievement back into the spotlight was profoundly important.
Designing an entire business ecosystem brought immense challenges. I was constantly filled with anxiety, wondering, 'Will people actually visit? Will they truly enjoy it?' Through that struggle, I learned the importance of believing in myself. In the end, the results were more wonderful than I could have imagined, teaching me the ultimate value of never stopping the thinking process.