The Japanese textile manufacturer Komatsu Matere has developed an innovative carbon-fiber based product for seismic reinforcement. This element consists of several interwoven carbon-fiber strands (with an outer layer of synthetic fiber and inorganic fiber) covered with thermoplastic resin. The resulting material has a high resistance to traction, but is light and easily transportable. In 2013, the studio of Kengo Kuma was commissioned to convert one of the company’s former central offices – a conventional reinforced concrete structure – into a showroom to display the system’s architectural applications.

To control stability, the perimeter of the block is wrapped in a thin canopy of CABKOMA rods. Each one is anchored to the roof and to a series of special fixings placed on the ground following the curved profile where subtle apertures give access to the building. To stabilize the structure, screens formed by a dense framework of these rods are also placed inside the building. On the rooftop, an experimental greening is being conducted using porous ceramic panels (called Greenbiz), generated from the process of manufacturing fiber.