CIC Tokyo

The place of availability

CIC (Cambridge Innovation Center) is a company that provides workspaces, communities and services for business growth and global expansion to various start-up companies. CIC has innovation centers in eight cities around the world, and the Tokyo CIC is a project which creates its first base in Asia in Japan. We wanted to create an available place (a place which people can easily utilize) in the strong square grid called Toranomon Hills Business Tower.

CELL and ROJI CORNER

As a place for startups, we were inspired by a natural system of CELLs that repeat growth and division, and created a space where “CELLs = private rooms” are organically connected. As a result of connecting the CELLs sometimes corridor or a large private room is formed. There is no single private room of the same size and shape, and corridor paths with no direct visibility continue while refracting. By interspersing ROJI CORNER in the corridor area, new discoveries and chances of an encounter are born alike in back alleys of a city.

Stairs that seamlessly connect the upper and lower floors

In the center of the tenant area where people frequently gather, we have set up an open staircase that seamlessly connects the upper and lower floors and a Venture Café, a place for events. Around this staircase, the entire floor has a flow line which allows a migration of tenants resulting in a gradation of activities depending on where people are and where they meet.

Possibility of a new way of working

Humans prefer hidden places and corners. Many activities and communities are born in the back alleys. ROJI　CORNER becomes a hub of loose and accidental connections, and is a place similar to these back alleys, that can be used in various styles such as working alone or having meetings as well as a place for relaxing and casual talks. The work style in which users move in various ways shows the possibility of PBW (project-based working) that functions for each project and is considered to be one of the spatial configurations that accelerate future innovation.