Press Release
Innovation and Production Center Factory by Obayashi Corporation Receives the Bronze A' Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design
Obayashi Corporation recognized for architecture, building and structure design by the international grand jury of the 2020 - 2021 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 23, 2021 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Innovation and Production Center Factory by Obayashi Corporation, designed for Riken Keiki Co., Ltd., has been granted the Bronze A' Design Award in the Architecture, Building and Structure Design category. The result belongs to the 2020 - 2021 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
What the Bronze A' Design Award Means
The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.
More About Innovation and Production Center Factory
Innovation and Production Center is a combined research and manufacturing facility for a gas detector manufacturer in an industrial area on the outskirts of Tokyo. The complex has six floors and a total area of 24,800 square meters. Two buildings are joined by a bridge that links the development and production departments. Slits, fins and louvers give the facades a precise and refined appearance. Green terraces placed at the same height on both buildings form a green skyline. The design aims to support collaboration between departments and to increase intellectual productivity.
About Obayashi Corporation
Our company's main business is contractig of construction works. It was established in Japan in 1892. Our team work as the design division of the company. We approach the design of buildings from a technical aspect, based on the knowledge our company have accumulated over the years. As the world becomes more unpredictable and complex, our unique approach to making things defines a new horizon, and we lay a foundation that will enrich lives and ensure sustainability.
Award Record
With this recognition, Obayashi Corporation is a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
About the A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award
The A' Architecture Design Award is an international architectural design competition recognizing good architectural designs by best architects worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to architectural design studios, building contractors, structural engineering firms and architecture and design consultants from all countries. Typical entries include skyscrapers, museums, residential buildings, commercial complexes, educational institutions and religious structures. The awarded architectural projects are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/architecture
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/120909
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/120909
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!120909
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/293458
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://www.obayashi.co.jp/design/
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Innovation and Production Center Factory
- Function
- Factory
- Category
- Architecture, Building and Structure Design
- Discipline
- Spatial Design
- Industry
- Architecture
- Colors
- Steel Blue, Dark Olive Green, Dark Slate Blue, Silver and Dark Gray
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Riken Keiki Co., Ltd.
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Obayashi Corporation
- Country
- Japan
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2020 - 2021
- Design ID
- #120909
Credits
- Team
- Goichi Kamochi, Hiroshi Satake, Kenji Matsuoka, Kentaro Yasufuku, Fuki Sato
- Image Credits
- Keita Yamamoto/ Nacasa and Partners Inc. Naomichi Sode/ SS Tokyo Corporation
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- This building is innovation center and production center for a gas detector manufacturer in an industrial area on the suburbs of Tokyo. This project is part of the consolidation and reorganization of the facilities of Riken Keiki, the pioneer of gas detectors in Japan. By relocating and consolidating its development and production sites from central Tokyo to the suburbs, the company aims to increase intellectual productivity and speed up the development process.
- Inspiration
- We planned the architecture with a focus on how to adjoin the innovation center and the production center, how to integrate them, and how to link the development and production departments. In designing the building, we tried to give form to the client's requirements of creating a presence for RIKEN KEIKI, creating a work environment that inspires imagination and strengthening collaboration between departments and increasing intellectual productivity.
- Research
- Based on the hypothesis that intellectual productivity can be improved by increasing opportunities to switch minds throughout the day, the interior design was based on the keyword "switching " of the researcher's thinking. Switching methods include color switching and color temperature switching. Color Switching: In the innovation center, each floor is given a different floor color. Color temperature switching: The production center has different lighting color temperatures for production areas and common areas. It encourages the switching of on/off modes.
- Challenge
- The most difficult part was the planning of the bridge connecting the two buildings. The bridge was penetrated into the building and supported by the beams on the second floor of both buildings. The Innovation Center is earthquake-resistant, while the Production Center is seismically isolated, so the two buildings would move differently during earthquakes. In order to follow the movement of the two buildings, the one side is supported by pins and the other side by rollers.
- Realization and Technology
- The main facades of the two buildings are unified by the same method of integrating different volumes with an L-shaped motif. The linear elements such as slits, fins, and louvers are used to express a sensor-like impression of precision and sophistication. The façade, with its delicate and diverse expressions, is unique and does not look like a production facility at first glance in the industrial area. In addition, by placing the green terraces at the same height of the two buildings, we created a green skyline. The green skyline creates a richness in the industrial landscape.
- Operation and Interaction
- The two buildings are connected by a bridge in order to strengthen collaboration between the development and production departments. In addition to easy access to both sides of the building, the green terrace and the adjacent communication space encourage communication between employees and provide a place to increase intellectual productivity. In this rapidly changing world, an architecture that enables seamless coordination between development and production will become a base for manufacturing that can efficiently and speedily open up the era.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project started in 2012 and finished in 2020 on the suburbs of Tokyo,JAPAN
- Specifications
- Floor:6, Area:24800 square meters
- Keywords
- architecture, facade, R&D Center, Production Center, Tokyo, suburbs
