Asahi Kasei — Hibiya: a curving white entrance, a canteen with a Tuesday bar, and a co-creation lounge called PRiSM

Concept

The next hundred years

Asahi Kasei has more than a century of history and bases in over twenty countries. For a head office that leads how the whole group works, it wanted space to choose where to work and places for people to meet, talk and discover.

Work floors moved from fixed desks to ABW, a co-creation space was added for the first time, and the canteen was rethought around health and communication.

01 · Entrance

Photogenic from every angle

The entrance is white, with the corporate blue standing out. Curves taken from the building’s own gentle bend widen the space and shape the route, and it was designed so that “every angle makes a picture”.

02 · BLANCA

Lunch, meetings, and a bar

The staff canteen, BLANCA, is used for lunch and coffee and also for meetings, work and parties. It opens at 8:30 in the morning, and on Tuesday evenings it becomes a bar, where people meet across departments and generations.

03 · PRiSM

Light split into new value

The co-creation space PRiSM is named for a prism, which splits light: the idea is to analyse “people, things and events” and create new value. Changes in the ceiling divide the zones, and planting is everywhere.

04 · Work and meet

Quiet, and lively

The work areas are kept quiet for focus, with a “waigaya” space for lively talk, booth seats, a presentation room and a large meeting room.