GMO Internet Group — Shibuya: two towers, and a canteen that never closes

Concept

A workplace the company treats as a service

Open meeting spaces are set through the floors rather than booked as rooms, and the company hangs contemporary art in them — it names Julian Opie among the artists — on the argument that what you look at during the day does some of the work.

The rest of the argument is GMO Yours: a communication space of around 150 seats, open 24 hours, where drinks and food are free and a lunch buffet, fresh bread and a barista machine run through the day. The company calls it the space that stands for the group.

01 · Cerulean Tower

The group’s head office

The work floors sit above the meeting areas, and meeting rooms of every size — from a few people to a full assembly — are glazed rather than walled, so the floor keeps its light.

02 · GMO Library

Books on the floor where people work

GMO Library lines one wall with books that staff can take to their desk.

03 · Shibuya Fukuras

The second Tokyo building

The second building keeps the same pattern with a calmer palette: a reception desk carrying the group mark, a lobby of low seating, and meeting rooms behind glass.

04 · GMO Yours · Fukuras

The canteen, repeated

GMO Yours is not one room but a fixture: the Fukuras building has its own.

05 · GMO Digital Museum

A gallery at street level

At the base of the building the group runs a digital museum, lit gold and open to the street.