Nihonbashi Kabutocho: From a 'Closed Financial District' to a 'Community Hub.' 43-year-old Building Exterior Revitalization by parkERs' U-35 Generation Wins 'TECTURE AWARD 2025' Special Award Among 1,033 Entries
parkERs' renovation of the exterior of a building in Nihonbashi Kabutocho, named "Kabutocho Daiichi Heiwa Building & Kabutocho Dairoku Heiwa Building ki-ten," received the "Special Award U-35" at the "TECTURE AWARD 2025." The urban design, which transformed the formerly closed financial district into a vibrant community hub, was highly praised.
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- 📰 Published: May 8, 2026 at 20:00
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parkERs, the spatial design brand of Park Corporation (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director: Hideaki Inoue), has received the "Special Award U-35" at the "TECTURE AWARD 2025," one of Japan's largest spatial design awards. This recognition was for the renovation project of the exterior of a 43-year-old building, "Kabutocho Daiichi Heiwa Building & Kabutocho Dairoku Heiwa Building ki-ten," undertaken by Heiwa Real Estate Co., Ltd. (Head office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Representative Executive Officer and President: Kiyoyuki Tsuchimoto).
The "TECTURE AWARD" is an open award selected by a panel of experts and public voting. The "Special Award U-35" recognizes works that showcase the sensibility of designers who will lead the next generation.
The "Kabutocho Daiichi Heiwa Building & Kabutocho Dairoku Heiwa Building ki-ten" project is one of the urban development initiatives promoted by Heiwa Real Estate Co., Ltd. in Nihonbashi Kabutocho and Kayabacho.
Nihonbashi Kabutocho, the birthplace of modern economy pioneered by Eiichi Shibusawa and with a history as a "securities and financial district," has been rapidly growing as an entire area. This growth is driven by the opening of "KABUTO ONE" in 2021, the attraction of unique facilities represented by "K5," and the development of "FinGATE," which has brought together over 100 asset management companies, FinTech firms, and other financial startups.
Reason for Award: Behavioral Change through Urban Design
The project was highly praised for creating new comfort in the city by presenting a staying space that encourages changes in people's awareness and behavior in a "closed financial district" where people previously only commuted to and from their destinations.
Ambassador Comments
Kazuko Akamatsu, Representative Director, Ciel Rouge & Associates | Professor, Department of Architecture and Architectural Engineering, Faculty of Design and Engineering, Hosei University, Recommendation Comment:
"Japan's financial district, Kabutocho, has an image of being filled with closed office buildings, where people hurriedly pass by, only commuting to and from their destinations, with little human presence. 'ki-ten' was created in a corner of such an office district where a human presence was rarely felt. As an open public space where anyone can freely spend time, benches for a momentary break, green shades, and lights create a change in the scenery, which I believe creates an opportunity for people's awareness and behavior to change."
Representative, Klein Dytham architecture, Recommendation Comment:
"The happy color yellow, implemented with a simple approach that is neither complex nor overdone, is very lively in Kabutocho, which is not human-centric. Both the daytime and nighttime appearances are beautiful, and I highly evaluate the provision of such a place where one would want to sit even without a specific errand. It would be great if such designs spread not only in Kabutocho but also more widely."
【Project Features】
① Landscape design transformed into a "place for people to stay"
In this project, which aimed to create an open space in Nihonbashi Kabutocho that anyone can use and to generate further vitality in the town, Heiwa Real Estate recognized the challenge of many buildings and few places to rest, and requested a renovation of the exterior part of the buildings.
Therefore, parkERs not only proposed an open public space where anyone visiting the building could freely spend time but also planned it to attract people visiting nearby facilities, making them interested in using it casually. From the impression of a "financial" and "vibrant" town, the image color was set to yellow, and this staying space was named "ki-ten (starting point)" to become a place that connects people and the city, generating new vitality and affection. We designed it anticipating various ways of spending time, such as benches & side tables, easy-to-use high counters, and box seats for multiple people.
Comment from Heiwa Real Estate Staff:
"parkERs not only incorporated colorful elements to add vibrancy to the city, which was our goal, but also proposed tree species related to Nihonbashi Kabutocho, a financial district, and displayed the meaning of these plantings in this location. I believe it has become a wonderful space that can convey the meaning of this place even when giving town tours. After completion, it has become a daily sight to see people relaxing on benches and 'jagako' (gabions) and looking at maps with town information. As area management, I feel we have been able to create a new 'place'."
(Mr. Iseya, Heiwa Real Estate Co., Ltd.)
Newly Developed Variable Furniture
The seat of the bench is movable and can slide horizontally, allowing adjustment and customization of the spacing with the surroundings according to the number of users.
The pillars, inspired by bollards that restrict car entry, can be used as side tables by attaching removable tops. Variations include compact sizes for single users and those with drink holder holes for multiple users, so you can choose your favorite top according to convenience and take it to your desired seating position. The drink holder holes accommodate takeout cups from cafes scattered around the building.
The "TECTURE AWARD" is an open award selected by a panel of experts and public voting. The "Special Award U-35" recognizes works that showcase the sensibility of designers who will lead the next generation.
The "Kabutocho Daiichi Heiwa Building & Kabutocho Dairoku Heiwa Building ki-ten" project is one of the urban development initiatives promoted by Heiwa Real Estate Co., Ltd. in Nihonbashi Kabutocho and Kayabacho.
Nihonbashi Kabutocho, the birthplace of modern economy pioneered by Eiichi Shibusawa and with a history as a "securities and financial district," has been rapidly growing as an entire area. This growth is driven by the opening of "KABUTO ONE" in 2021, the attraction of unique facilities represented by "K5," and the development of "FinGATE," which has brought together over 100 asset management companies, FinTech firms, and other financial startups.
Reason for Award: Behavioral Change through Urban Design
The project was highly praised for creating new comfort in the city by presenting a staying space that encourages changes in people's awareness and behavior in a "closed financial district" where people previously only commuted to and from their destinations.
Ambassador Comments
Kazuko Akamatsu, Representative Director, Ciel Rouge & Associates | Professor, Department of Architecture and Architectural Engineering, Faculty of Design and Engineering, Hosei University, Recommendation Comment:
"Japan's financial district, Kabutocho, has an image of being filled with closed office buildings, where people hurriedly pass by, only commuting to and from their destinations, with little human presence. 'ki-ten' was created in a corner of such an office district where a human presence was rarely felt. As an open public space where anyone can freely spend time, benches for a momentary break, green shades, and lights create a change in the scenery, which I believe creates an opportunity for people's awareness and behavior to change."
Representative, Klein Dytham architecture, Recommendation Comment:
"The happy color yellow, implemented with a simple approach that is neither complex nor overdone, is very lively in Kabutocho, which is not human-centric. Both the daytime and nighttime appearances are beautiful, and I highly evaluate the provision of such a place where one would want to sit even without a specific errand. It would be great if such designs spread not only in Kabutocho but also more widely."
【Project Features】
① Landscape design transformed into a "place for people to stay"
In this project, which aimed to create an open space in Nihonbashi Kabutocho that anyone can use and to generate further vitality in the town, Heiwa Real Estate recognized the challenge of many buildings and few places to rest, and requested a renovation of the exterior part of the buildings.
Therefore, parkERs not only proposed an open public space where anyone visiting the building could freely spend time but also planned it to attract people visiting nearby facilities, making them interested in using it casually. From the impression of a "financial" and "vibrant" town, the image color was set to yellow, and this staying space was named "ki-ten (starting point)" to become a place that connects people and the city, generating new vitality and affection. We designed it anticipating various ways of spending time, such as benches & side tables, easy-to-use high counters, and box seats for multiple people.
Comment from Heiwa Real Estate Staff:
"parkERs not only incorporated colorful elements to add vibrancy to the city, which was our goal, but also proposed tree species related to Nihonbashi Kabutocho, a financial district, and displayed the meaning of these plantings in this location. I believe it has become a wonderful space that can convey the meaning of this place even when giving town tours. After completion, it has become a daily sight to see people relaxing on benches and 'jagako' (gabions) and looking at maps with town information. As area management, I feel we have been able to create a new 'place'."
(Mr. Iseya, Heiwa Real Estate Co., Ltd.)
Newly Developed Variable Furniture
The seat of the bench is movable and can slide horizontally, allowing adjustment and customization of the spacing with the surroundings according to the number of users.
The pillars, inspired by bollards that restrict car entry, can be used as side tables by attaching removable tops. Variations include compact sizes for single users and those with drink holder holes for multiple users, so you can choose your favorite top according to convenience and take it to your desired seating position. The drink holder holes accommodate takeout cups from cafes scattered around the building.