Kikkoman R&D Center

Research facility with a “checkered landscape” Above the laboratory floor, a“ checkered” open work area is overlaid, creating a landscape-like relaxed, unified and expansive research facility. The design concept of the new R&D center is twofold“: Challenging Ourselves to Realize Our Dreams” and“ The Central Hub for the Kikkoman Group’s Product Development.” Rather than a homogeneous office, a curated“ landscape” idea emerged, supporting a variety of types of spaces so that each researcher has an environment to work in that can suit their way of working. The design emphasizes the linking of functions and enlivening of communication. Rather than stacking floors vertically as in a typical research facility, our design provides the maximum floor space possible in the least number of floors. We gathered the laboratories on the first floor and placed open functions such as free-address workplaces, conference rooms, and cafe space on the second floor. The spaces are connected with a number of vertical circulation features, atria, and communication spaces. Vertical circulation and atria are distributed and integrated within the“ checkered” pattern of the workplace second floor. They create close functional links between the upper and lower floors while giving three-dimensionality to movement and activities. The checkered pattern of the upper floor was also applied to the roof forms to bring in natural light and air. Rather than being distributed equally throughout, light quality is varied within the large volume, including light entering through the large clerestory windows in the upper portion of the central atrium. The indirect lighting scheme is adjustable for both intensity and color and also coordinated with natural lighting. To keep the lightweight roof unencumbered, all HVAC equipment was placed in the space between the first and second floors. Depending on the dimensions of the interstitial space, some squares of the checkered layout were raised by 350 mm, creating a landscape of varying levels, openings, and sightlines. By adjusting the lab zoning, spans, the placements of the various functions, and the relationships among them, and by slight disruptions of the checkered pattern, we were able to turn a static schematic into something resembling a natural landscape where researchers can freely select where they work. The core, plumbing, and HVAC spaces were placed in the periphery, prioritizing the unity of the workplace. The building’s surroundings feature traditional-style houses, a shrine, a traditional fence built with blackened boards, and a tile-roofed storehouse. To complement that context and scale, the roof was divided into sections corresponding to the checkered pattern to create a cluster of smaller volumes, each with a pitched roof. Ochre-colored slabs extending from the office landscape on the second-floor and the Kura-like HVAC cores alternate on the elevation. Instead of a cold, overbearing facade or a faceless backside turned toward the townscape, all sides of the building are designed with a restrained openness, presenting an exterior that is porous and harmonious with the human scale of its surroundings.