Pillar Grove

Aichi, Japan

Photo © Toshiyuki Yano

Architects: senbunnoichi

Location: Aichi, Japan
Year: 2013

Our newly-built office plan.

The site is located in a suburb of Nagoya City, near the last stop of a metro station, and facing a major arterial road. A large development project being undertaken in the surrounding area, will transform the site in years to come.

The following points were focused on to carry out the project:

Creating the image of a fresh space that will play a key role in our company’s future development. Encouraging rich communication between the staff. Exploring the possibilities of a wooden structure.

The construction was planned with the following considerations in mind:

Firstly, concerning the placement of pillars, 30 pillars were placed in a hash-tag layout allowing the creation of a structure that has no load bearing walls inside.

Secondly, with regard to the slabs, free-arrangement of the slabs produced differences in height allowing the staff to choose their own custom spaces in the office. Thirdly, regarding the exterior, same-sized openings cover all four walls and give a classic look to the main façade, and provide it with the impression of durability. All of these elements came together to create an intentionally designed space that could bear unintended and surprising forms of functionality .

Characteristics such as windows cut-off by slabs, windows placed in inaccessible locations, and the staircase peaking out from between slabs contribute to a rich, unusual space—a space that provides the feeling of being in a grove, accomplished through the sunlight shining down via windows on the walls surrounding the inside, —even though the space was created artificially.

The rule that presided over the production of this space may appear to recall postmodern architecture. However, if postmodern architecture is recognized as specializing in meaning, this structure has both the strength of meaning and space. What is “postmodern” originally supposed to mean? The reconsideration of historical value is imbued in this architecture.