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HDI Tokyo Office
HDI Tokyo Office
Tokyo, Japan
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Other Projects by van der Architects
HDI Tokyo Office
Tokyo, Japan
Firm
Type
STATUS
Built
YEAR
2016
SIZE
5000 sqft - 10,000 sqft
HDI - a search for an authentic experience at work.
What does an authentic workplace look like? Designing an authentic office
is not an easy task. Just like the terms “artist”, “poet” or “great
lover”, these are titles that are given or need to be earned rather than
being self-assigned.
Our attempt in creating an authentic workplace started off with our
WorkVitamins methodology. This methodology was created by me, Martin van
der Linden, principal of van der Architects, when I was an assistant
researcher at Waseda Univeristy in 2001 here in Tokyo. I believes that
architecture can be a catalyst for change in innovative environments, and
this methodology - called “WorkVitamins” - is based on this idea.
The methodology has four steps. The first step is called INITIATE and
sets the tone of the direction of the project by creating a Shared
Workplace Vision. For the HDI project the vision was to create a work
environment where we would deconstruct the idea of an office as a static
space with fixed seats. This might sound like nothing really new as Free-
Address or Hot-Desking has been around for maybe over two decades. We
wanted to create a work environment in which there would be specific
spaces that during the course of a work day would support the specific,
changing tasks of the employees. Thus during the second phase of our
WorkVitamins methodology, called ANALYSIS, through questionnaires,
observation and follow-up interviews we started to be able to understand
the various, very specific, working-space needs that the employees of HDI
had. This enabled us to formulate a new set of spaces that would allow
the employees to perform their changing tasks through-out the day. In
this way the employees are constantly moving through the workspace,
letting the nature of their tasks decide which seat would support their
task best.
Thus we created four distinctive zones with a diverse set of spaces for
specific tasks ranging from individual to group work, and from
concentration to collaboration.
On the far right, along the building wall we added semi-enclosed booths
for work that requires concentration and privacy. Five height-adjustable
tables are enclosed with sound absorbing wool-cement boards. An indicator
van der Architects - HDI -press release - April 2017
light in front of these booths acts as a simple reservation system. The
booths feature double flat-screens and are used by the staff for writing
reports, preparing payroll, or document review. One of the booths has
back to back seats for collaborative work.
In the centre of the space we placed three large worktables. These tables
are mainly for individual processing-type of work which requires little
interaction with other staff nor concentration.
To the left of the space is a collaborative area. Most of the office is
in a neutral white-grey colour palette but the collaborative space
deliberately been coloured in green, with green walls, a green floor and
green ceiling. A mix of seating gives the employees the choice to either
sit individually in comfortable sofa’s, or in small groups either along
the back wall on a bench with chairs in front of them or in dinner-type
booths that can accommodate four. There is also a higher counter with
stools which are very popular for quick meetings.
A client meeting room in a 3/1 proportion defines the client entrance
space. Placed under an angle it points on the left towards a glass
meeting room, while narrowing towards the right where it cuts off the
view of a pixelated full height wall-print which continuous behind it
into the collaborative area. The client meeting room is clad in Mortex
concrete. Glass doors on both sides allow for views as well as access
from the meeting room into the collaborative space. Two more smaller
meeting rooms are placed close to the client entrance.
At the other entrance staff are small lockers and coat closets. Three
well-insulated phone booths are placed in front of the lockers. Around
the corner there is a semi-enclosed team meeting room for teams working
on projects.
A Workplace Vision and the WorkVitamins methodology have created an
office based around an analysis and a break-down of the specific
activities that are performed by this specific company. In the end the
design provides a variety of work settings. But the design for the HDI
office is still an office, it is not an office disguised as a playground
or a playground disguised as an office. Not that there is anything wrong
with an office designed as a playground, but that’s not what this
specific office is about. Authenticity at work does not come from design,
van der Architects - HDI -press release - April 2017
design by itself means nothing. As the architect it is not up to me to say that the users are having authentic experience in this office but the combination of understanding the need for a diverse work setting in combination with a strong conceptual vision of how people can rather than should work might contribute to some sort of authenticity at work.
Martin van der Linden
A video of the design process, the construction and some post-occupation
interviews can be viewed here:
Part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Oed_IfDdt4
Part 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYV5ydFSwHc
Part 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TTgBT2J_zU
Project Name: HDI, Tokyo Office
Programme: Office interior
Project size: 540m2
Materials: Bolon, Mortex, cement wool.
Furniture: Knoll, USM Haller, Herman Miller.
Client: HDI
Architect: Martin van der Linden
Project team: Ayumu Ota, Yuko Kawakita
Design period: Jan 2016 - March 2016
Construction: May - June 2016
Contractor: SPD Meiji
Photography: Yo Masunaga
Post scriptum
The photographer of this project is Yo Masunaga. Yo’s father was a famous
graphic designer, best-known (at least by anyone in Japan) for the
creation of the Peko-chan mascot for the Fujiya chain restaurants.
Although Peko-chan looks like a girl with pigtails, it seems that the
Masunaga senior based Peko-chan on his son Yo, our photographer (now in
his sixties).
What does an authentic workplace look like? Designing an authentic office
is not an easy task. Just like the terms “artist”, “poet” or “great
lover”, these are titles that are given or need to be earned rather than
being self-assigned.
Our attempt in creating an authentic workplace started off with our
WorkVitamins methodology. This methodology was created by me, Martin van
der Linden, principal of van der Architects, when I was an assistant
researcher at Waseda Univeristy in 2001 here in Tokyo. I believes that
architecture can be a catalyst for change in innovative environments, and
this methodology - called “WorkVitamins” - is based on this idea.
The methodology has four steps. The first step is called INITIATE and
sets the tone of the direction of the project by creating a Shared
Workplace Vision. For the HDI project the vision was to create a work
environment where we would deconstruct the idea of an office as a static
space with fixed seats. This might sound like nothing really new as Free-
Address or Hot-Desking has been around for maybe over two decades. We
wanted to create a work environment in which there would be specific
spaces that during the course of a work day would support the specific,
changing tasks of the employees. Thus during the second phase of our
WorkVitamins methodology, called ANALYSIS, through questionnaires,
observation and follow-up interviews we started to be able to understand
the various, very specific, working-space needs that the employees of HDI
had. This enabled us to formulate a new set of spaces that would allow
the employees to perform their changing tasks through-out the day. In
this way the employees are constantly moving through the workspace,
letting the nature of their tasks decide which seat would support their
task best.
Thus we created four distinctive zones with a diverse set of spaces for
specific tasks ranging from individual to group work, and from
concentration to collaboration.
On the far right, along the building wall we added semi-enclosed booths
for work that requires concentration and privacy. Five height-adjustable
tables are enclosed with sound absorbing wool-cement boards. An indicator
van der Architects - HDI -press release - April 2017
light in front of these booths acts as a simple reservation system. The
booths feature double flat-screens and are used by the staff for writing
reports, preparing payroll, or document review. One of the booths has
back to back seats for collaborative work.
In the centre of the space we placed three large worktables. These tables
are mainly for individual processing-type of work which requires little
interaction with other staff nor concentration.
To the left of the space is a collaborative area. Most of the office is
in a neutral white-grey colour palette but the collaborative space
deliberately been coloured in green, with green walls, a green floor and
green ceiling. A mix of seating gives the employees the choice to either
sit individually in comfortable sofa’s, or in small groups either along
the back wall on a bench with chairs in front of them or in dinner-type
booths that can accommodate four. There is also a higher counter with
stools which are very popular for quick meetings.
A client meeting room in a 3/1 proportion defines the client entrance
space. Placed under an angle it points on the left towards a glass
meeting room, while narrowing towards the right where it cuts off the
view of a pixelated full height wall-print which continuous behind it
into the collaborative area. The client meeting room is clad in Mortex
concrete. Glass doors on both sides allow for views as well as access
from the meeting room into the collaborative space. Two more smaller
meeting rooms are placed close to the client entrance.
At the other entrance staff are small lockers and coat closets. Three
well-insulated phone booths are placed in front of the lockers. Around
the corner there is a semi-enclosed team meeting room for teams working
on projects.
A Workplace Vision and the WorkVitamins methodology have created an
office based around an analysis and a break-down of the specific
activities that are performed by this specific company. In the end the
design provides a variety of work settings. But the design for the HDI
office is still an office, it is not an office disguised as a playground
or a playground disguised as an office. Not that there is anything wrong
with an office designed as a playground, but that’s not what this
specific office is about. Authenticity at work does not come from design,
van der Architects - HDI -press release - April 2017
design by itself means nothing. As the architect it is not up to me to say that the users are having authentic experience in this office but the combination of understanding the need for a diverse work setting in combination with a strong conceptual vision of how people can rather than should work might contribute to some sort of authenticity at work.
Martin van der Linden
A video of the design process, the construction and some post-occupation
interviews can be viewed here:
Part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Oed_IfDdt4
Part 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYV5ydFSwHc
Part 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TTgBT2J_zU
Project Name: HDI, Tokyo Office
Programme: Office interior
Project size: 540m2
Materials: Bolon, Mortex, cement wool.
Furniture: Knoll, USM Haller, Herman Miller.
Client: HDI
Architect: Martin van der Linden
Project team: Ayumu Ota, Yuko Kawakita
Design period: Jan 2016 - March 2016
Construction: May - June 2016
Contractor: SPD Meiji
Photography: Yo Masunaga
Post scriptum
The photographer of this project is Yo Masunaga. Yo’s father was a famous
graphic designer, best-known (at least by anyone in Japan) for the
creation of the Peko-chan mascot for the Fujiya chain restaurants.
Although Peko-chan looks like a girl with pigtails, it seems that the
Masunaga senior based Peko-chan on his son Yo, our photographer (now in
his sixties).
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