Communication core where you can feel nature

This is a new office building for “Kusuri no Aoki” company based in Hakusan, Ishikawa. We proposed what we called a “big plate office”, since the client wanted to create an environment that can flexibly respond to future corporate growth while also allows the employees to have more face to face experiences.

It is a low-rise, three-story building with 70m x 48m dimensions or of about 3,300㎡. The exterior of the 2nd and 3rd floors are covered with a large glass resulting in an office with 360-degree views, with focus on Mt. Hakusan. The facade is designed to be a landmark by the combination of glass and natural stone, with the overlapping of the eaves and louvers accentuating the horizontal line.

It has a pillarless office of about 1,100㎡ with a depth of 16m on both sides of the 2nd and 3rd floors, and two courtyards in the center. The conventional closed core with stairs and elevators were eliminated and a communication core where you can feel the nature took place. Utilizing the low rise, the communication core has a minimum vertical movement line with two open large stairs and two central see-through elevators. A semi-outdoor step terrace connecting the upper and lower floors and a knowledge space connecting the north and south offices facing the courtyard increase the frequency of employees encounters and stimulate communication.

The 3m eave controls direct sunlight into the office space, while the step terrace guides light to the center and lower floors of the office. Even in Hokuriku where there is little sunshine in winter, it is an environment where you can enjoy the brightness.