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Nippan Group Tokyo Head Quarter

Kokuyo

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Communication library. Between the arched bookshelves, you will find various spaces which you can have spontaneous catchups or randomly walk in to find the book. - FUMITO SUZUKI
Communication library. A space that can be used freely both inside and outside the company. Normally used as a workspace, it is also rented out for seminars and exhibitions during events. The view of the library from the flat area creates a sense of unity throughout the space. - FUMITO SUZUKI
We designed an organic hill. The ups and downs create stacks of people and bookshelves as if you see the city view from afar. - FUMITO SUZUKI
Communication library. Between the arched bookshelves, you will find various spaces which you can have spontaneous catchups or randomly walk in to find the book. - FUMITO SUZUKI

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Sponsor
Comments
Innovation
Functionality
Creativity
Eco-Social Impact
Total
JURY VOTES
Small Office
6.60
6.78
6.84
6.30
6.63
Arthur Guimarães
Arthur Guimarães Chief Executive Officer at Arthur Guimarães Architects
Really interesting project with a g...
8.5
7
8
7
7.63
Mark Eric Magno
Mark Eric Magno Principal at Aedas Interiors
Unique take on bathroom planning us...
8
7
8.5
6.5
7.5
Jessica Adkins
Jessica Adkins Brand Experience Design Lead Europe at M Moser Associates
8.5
7.2
8.3
7
7.75
Josse Popma
Josse Popma Partner at Popma ter Steege Architects
I love how radically this is done....
9
9
9
7
8.5
Mariana Schimidt
Mariana Schimidt Founder at MNMA studio
10
9
9
6
8.5
Zizhao Li
Zizhao Li Cofounder and Chief Designer at DSC · Design
8
6
8
6
7
Xuechen Chen
Xuechen Chen Architectural Designer at X.C Studio
I appreciate the symmetrical approa...
8.5
8
9
7
8.13
Serhii Makhno
Serhii Makhno Founder at MAKHNO Studio
9
8
9
8
8.5
Burton Baldridge
Burton Baldridge Founder at Baldridge Architects
The design and layout is truly bold...
8
5
8
7
7
Mike McGirr
Mike McGirr Managing Partner and Design Principal at red design
6.48
6.84
7.29
6.93
6.89
Pooja Shah-Mulani
Pooja Shah-Mulani Partner and Design Director at LW Design
I love the radical contrast of this...
10
9
9
7
8.75
Anna Gitelman
Anna Gitelman Associate Professor at Suffolk University
8
8
9
9
8.5
Suvi Saloniemi
Suvi Saloniemi Head of Exhibitions at Finnish Museum of Architecture and Design Museum
8
7
9
6
7.5
Katie Mitchell
Katie Mitchell Managing Director at Seen Studios
8
8
9
7.5
8.13
Wenqing Zhou
Wenqing Zhou Founder at Add Culture & Creative Development
7
7
8
6.5
7.13
Harkaran Singh Boparai
Harkaran Singh Boparai Founder at Space 5
7
8
7
6
7
Yan Zhang
Yan Zhang Cofounder at say architects
8.58
8.47
8.58
7.64
8.32
Jianan Shan
Jianan Shan Cofounder at say architects
7.13
6.81
5.67
5
6.15
Designer
Client
Nippan Group Holdings
Floor area
1017 ㎡
Completion
2023
Green Planning
Furniture
Book Selection
Sign Design
Lighting

NIPPAN Group has built the most significant wholesale book business in Japan. For the office renewal project, we planned to create a communication library. The displayed 2000 books were hand-picked by employees, and there is a note from the selector once you open the book. You can find the recommendations, memories, and the reasons for choosing the book. Books selected by other employees can be an opportunity to find colleagues with similar interests and create new interactions. When you are stuck in your work, books will provide inspiration and improve the quality of the work. We designed a way of communication and new workstyles through the office library, and this was a leading challenge in Japan.

1)An Organic hill
In conventional plain and flat workspaces, people's flows are linear and uneventful. It is difficult for people to meet and new forms of communication to emerge. The bookshelves are often placed on the backside, which makes them harder to recognize and access, and gives fewer chances for people to pick and read a book.To solve the issue, we designed an organic hill. The ups and downs creates natural lines of people and stacks of bookshelves as if you see the city view from afar. The ceiling has low arches that amplify depth, creating a three-dimensional and expansive space. Between the arched bookshelves, you will find various spaces which you can have spontaneous catchups or randomly walk in to find the book. This creates a comfortable, soft, and flexible atmosphere in an office space that tends to be linear and firm. People can feel as if they are lying on the hill.

2) Sustainable Materials
The hills, bookshelves, and fixtures planned within them were designed with attention to details. The materials used for this space, such as bricks, wood, green and a mixture of gravel, are organic and have a unique touch. The circle table has a top which is made from compressed magazines and used paper, and we engrave the patterns from the building facade. The table in the cafe has dried leaves mixed in, which we collected from the building's square.

3) Inclusive design
For the inclusive use, the hill is equipped with a ramp to allow wheelchair users to access the hill. In addition, the height of the bookshelves was planned to be kept low so that all books can be reached, regardless of whether they are for adults or children, men or women, or tall or short. We have prepared a wide variety of places to stay: dark, light, open, closed, a place to lie down and read a book, or a place to quickly stand up and work at the counter.

4) Various functions
We have planned a variety of functions except the communication library, which were not available in the previous offices. Through these functions, communication can occur both inside and outside the company, people can make new engagement opportunities, talk to each other, and increase the number of friends and supporters.