The request was to design a symbolic factory to commemorate the company’s centenary, located on a site next to the Shin-Tomei Expressway, which is currently under construction. The design was required to be visible from highway vehicles, to represent a factory producing high-tech glass for dentistry, and to have an upper-level space with a view of Mt. Fuji. Due to the glass manufacturing process, the floor area of the lower floors is large, while the viewing space is small, and the pyramidal shape was chosen to contrast with the view of Mt. Fuji. In order to supply as much as possible of the electricity used in the factory, it was ascertained that a pyramidal shape would also enable it to generate electricity on the north side, and so the entire surface could be covered with solar panels.
