YKK AP 30 Building — Kurobe: a workplace in a forest

Concept

Working with nature

The workplace is surrounded by water basins and trees. Four 25 m squares are shifted in plan and level to draw in light and wind.

Underground water, a stable 12°C all year, is used as the heat source for air conditioning and then returns to the sea through the basins.

01 · Inside

Desks among the trees

Working here, people feel the wind, light and water of Kurobe, and the land becomes part of their work.

02 · Growing

A place that matures

As the trees grow, shade and microclimate will change and the environmental performance will improve. The architects see it as a workplace that quietly redefines the reason to gather and work.