Corporate Office
Tokyo Japan

The leasing span of commercial real estate in downtown Tokyo has recently been trending deeper, in excess of 20 meters (66 feet) to provide a larger single floor plate, often in the expense of prohibiting natural light further into the space.

To solve this structural challenge, the plan of Shinmaru office for the human resource company Pasona Group, was designed with a circular corridor that runs around the core of the building. Acting as an artery to connect all the main spaces and functions in the office, it maximizes space distribution and minimizes access corridors.

This single corridor varies in width from 5 to 7 meters within its arc to house informal meeting spaces, copy rooms, filing cabinets, tech support, and cafe stations, making the corridor a functioning space rather than merely a thoroughfare. The corridor is defined with floor to ceiling frosted glass panels to allow light to penetrate into the core. Set at an angle, with openings between the panels, all major office spaces arranged on the perimeter of the building are hidden from visitors who are guided to travel in a clockwise direction. However, employees and staffs walking in the opposite direction are presented with all the activities of the office visible through the openings.