GOOD CYCLE BUILDING | Turning an Aging Office into Circular Architecture

A renovation project in Japan shows how wood, soil, and reclaimed materials can give an existing building a sustainable second life.

Demolishing an aging building and starting again is not the only way to create better architecture. In Aichi Prefecture, Japan, Asanuma Corporation chose a different approach.

Around 30 years after its office building was completed, the company launched the GOOD CYCLE BUILDING project to transform the existing structure through sustainable renovation and circular design.

Instead of treating the old building as something that had reached the end of its life, the project explored how its structure and materials could be preserved, reused, and given new value. The result is an office environment that moves away from the cold, industrial image of conventional workplaces and creates a closer relationship between people, architecture, and nature.

Giving an Existing Building a New Life

The renovation began with an important idea: use what already exists whenever possible. Rather than demolishing the entire office tower, the project retained the existing building and reconsidered how its exterior and interior could perform better.

The original glass curtain wall was removed, and the façade was redesigned with deeply recessed windows. This approach allows more natural light and ventilation to enter the building while creating greater depth across the exterior.

Wood then became one of the defining materials of the new façade.

Bringing Yoshino Cedar into the Architecture

Japanese cedar from the Yoshino forests of Nara Prefecture was selected for the exterior, replacing the previous mechanical appearance with the warmth and texture of natural timber.

The wooden columns gradually become narrower as they rise, reflecting the natural form of trees growing upward from the ground. This subtle change gives the building a more organic character and visually connects the architecture with the natural world.

The use of timber also supports the project's circular philosophy. Rather than becoming waste at the end of its first use, wooden components can potentially be removed, reused, or repurposed when replacement becomes necessary.

In this way, material selection becomes part of the building's long-term life cycle rather than simply a decision made during construction.

Returning to the Earth with Soil

The sustainable concept continues inside the building, where soil becomes another major architectural material.

Floors, walls, and ceilings incorporate earth-based finishes, giving the renovated office a distinctive natural atmosphere. Soil remaining from the construction process was also reused to create surfaces inside and outside the building instead of being treated simply as waste.

An unusual part of the project was how these walls were completed. Rather than leaving all of the work to professional craftsmen, building users participated in applying the soil themselves.

This hands-on process created a stronger connection between people and their workplace. Employees were not simply occupying a finished building—they became part of the process of creating and maintaining it.

The soil walls were also designed without additional substances. When maintenance or recoating is required, the material can be collected and reused again. Eventually, it can return to the earth, continuing the natural material cycle.

Turning Waste into New Resources

Wood and soil are not the only materials given a second life in GOOD CYCLE BUILDING.

Construction waste such as stone, reclaimed wood, and gypsum was collected and incorporated back into the renovation. Some materials were reused directly, while others were combined with leftover soil and timber to produce furniture and new interior elements.

Instead of viewing these materials as waste, the project treats them as resources that still have value.

This idea transforms the building into a kind of "material bank"—a place where materials are stored in useful forms and can potentially enter another cycle of use in the future.

A Building Designed Around Circularity

GOOD CYCLE BUILDING demonstrates that sustainable architecture is not only about installing new energy-saving technology or selecting environmentally friendly products.

It can also begin by asking a simpler question: What can we continue to use?

By preserving an existing structure, introducing timber and soil, recovering construction waste, and designing materials for future reuse, the project creates a continuous cycle between architecture and natural resources.

Sunlight, greenery, timber, earth, and reclaimed materials work together throughout the building, creating an office that feels closely connected to nature while demonstrating the practical possibilities of circular design.

GOOD CYCLE BUILDING gives an aging office tower a new purpose—and shows how architecture can move away from the traditional cycle of build, use, and discard toward one of reuse, renewal, and continued value.

Project Information
Project Name: GOOD CYCLE BUILDING 001
Location: Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
Architects: Nori Architects + Asanuma Corporation
Design Team: Norihisa Kawashima, Takuro Kunitomo, Shohei Takeuchi, Yuki Ishibashi (Nori Architects)
Asanuma Corporation Team: Kiyoshi Hasegawa, Saya Okazaki, Kazuaki Nakamura, Naoko Itemadani, Katsuya Mizuno
Design Period: May 2019 – July 2020
Construction Period: August 2020 – September 2021

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Reference:
https://greenmedia.today/article_detail.php?cid=35&mid=769