Shibuya Ward, Tokyo
Wall surfaces in offices
An IT company in a renewed landmark building in Shibuya, Tokyo. AICHI METAL’s wall components were used in this office space in 2020. This is AICHI METAL’s technology, which coats the surface of aluminium composite sheets with VeroMetal to produce various textures. Originally, the person in charge of the design of this office for a major general contractor tried out a variety of VeroMetal on his own mobile phone cover using the DIY kit version of VeroMetal that we offer. This was interesting, and so AICHI METAL was asked to manufacture the components for the wall surface. However, it was not an easy project.
Unevenness and crispness
What was required was a very textured, rather much lintier metallic texture. At first, I tried painting it after making an uneven surface with a primer, but it didn’t give as strong a crispness as I had hoped. So, I created the texture by pounding clay-like VeroMetal on top of the painted and polished surface, creating a heap by hand and then polishing it. The painting process was carried out by VeroMetal partner company Shimizu Paint Industry Ltd. In fact, this company has the title of being the best in Japan in the field of paint, and is also the construction company relied upon by the major general contractor that was also the construction company at this time. Through the VeroMetal training programme, AICHI METAL has more than 100 partners nationwide, and will start working with these companies in 2021 to strengthen its construction response.
A vast array of samples
This time, there were many areas that were unknown to us, and the in-house system that allowed us to make samples as our own investment was significant. As a result, not only did we make a lot of samples and discuss our images with each other, but the people who placed the order also stayed at our company and repeated the prototyping many times, which deepened their understanding of VeroMetal and facilitated smooth communication. In the end, we were able to create a wall material with metal coating and decoration for the walls of the office, the president’s office and the conference room, which will add colour to the company’s new history. The project was the result of ideas from various people with a great deal of cooperation.
