JAPAN'S BEST-DESIGNED OFFICESConcept
A publisher that leaves its books by the door
The entrance is described in terms of light — sun coming in, and a welcome for the number of people who pass through — but the part worth noticing is what has been put in it. Immediately inside there is a space where the company’s own books can be read, and a shop, run by a group company.
Publishing houses do not usually do this. A publisher’s lobby is normally a lobby. Putting the catalogue within arm’s reach of the front door makes the entrance a small version of the business itself, and gives a visitor waiting for an appointment something to do that is also the reason they came.
01 · The entrance
Books, and a shop
The entrance is daylit, with a reading space for the company’s own titles and a shop operated by a group company just inside it.
02 · The working floors
A floor per department
Departments are separated by floor, and the space given to each person is deliberately generous, which the company puts in terms of being able to concentrate on the work. An office shop and a drinks server are kept on the floor.
03 · The meeting rooms
Large and small
Meeting rooms come in two sizes so that the room can be matched to the kind of gathering — an editorial conversation, or something larger.
04 · The free spaces
One on every floor
Each floor keeps a free space, furnished loosely, for the part of editorial work that happens away from a desk.
