Starting from the start 026. Where Cultural Change Began to Ripple

After the shared space of Construction Waste Upcycling Project 1.0 was completed, the reactions were mixed. Some colleagues found it refreshing. Others questioned it: Why use construction waste? Why make the office look like a construction site?

Complaints and doubts are not necessarily negative. Sometimes, they are simply the beginning of conversation. FG Next had been in preparation since 2017, with weekly meetings devoted to discussion and debate, gradually shaping Farglory’s direction toward “sustainability” and “sharing”. The 1.0 shared space was the first attempt to bring the idea of circular regeneration in architecture into the workplace. When a concept moves from discussion into everyday reality—when it becomes part of where people work—it naturally invites people to feel, to reflect, and even to question. That, too, is part of cultural change.

A year and a half after the space was completed, the META Design team shared good news: the project had received Japan’s Good Design Award.

In fact, the team had submitted the project in its first year and successfully advanced to the final review, but did not win at that time. However, one key question from the judges stayed with us: “Can a one-time project like this create broader impact for the industry or the environment?” Rather than discouraging us, it reassured us that we were on the right path. What we set out to do was never a single office renovation, but a long-term exploration—over the next fifty years—of sustainability and shared value at Farglory.

We continued. The following year, we submitted the 2.0 phase and received recognition. And we did not stop there. Phases 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0 followed, expanding from our own workplace into the reception center and eventually into actual development projects.

Looking back, the doubts and discussions that surrounded the completion of 1.0 did not slow the project down. Instead, they helped clarify our direction. Change takes time, and it requires ongoing testing and adjustment. The differing voices and the process of working through them were not obstacles—they were part of the journey itself.

Photo Credit: META Design

Editor: Shih Yi Feng

Starting from the start 025. The Night We Moved In: Project 1.0

Six months earlier, the FG Next team had visited the META Design studio in Tamsui for the first time. That visit allowed us to truly see how discarded resources could be transformed into something meaningful. It aligned closely with the conversations FG Next had been having for more than two years around architectural sustainability. When we shared the background of FG Next, the issues we care about, and the idea of using the 16th-floor shared space as an experimental site, META Design understood that this was not a one-off commission. It was a company choosing to test new approaches within its own workplace.

Starting from the start 024. A Phone Booth Between Vision and Reality

After the completion of the 1.0 shared space, practical needs led us to add a phone booth. Looking at a space built entirely from construction waste, and then flipping through catalogs of commercially available office booths, it felt clear that simply placing a ready-made product inside would the overall look and feel of the space. It would look out of place.

Starting from the start 023. Keeping Nature in Everyday Office Life

In architecture and spatial planning, planting serves as a bridge between people, buildings, and nature, playing a key role in how comfortable a space feels. This way of thinking applies not only to products and public spaces, but also to our own workplace—we hope that even in daily work, colleagues can experience a sense of balance brought by nature and comfort.