Daiichi Mutual Insurance Shin-Ohi Office Landscape

Type

Campus Landscape

Scale

12.4 Acres

Location

Kanagawa, Japan

The Daiichi project site is located 70km outside of Tokyo in a small, quiet town surrounded by rice fields, coastlines, and mountains. In order to fulfill their building design concept, “Working in a Forest,” Takenaka Architecture invited WRT to serve as landscape design consultants.

The WRT team worked closely with Takenaka to integrate landscape features within the buildings and throughout the campus, to create a workplace that fosters a positive, valued experience of nature in the built environment.

The four-story building consists of 40,000m2 of office space, a café/restaurant, and a direct-mail control facility. The primary challenges were how to fit the large-scale office building into the small-scale residential neighborhood, achieve high security requirements without the use of typical high concrete walls, and provide a relaxing and enjoyable environment for employees.

Topographic features were deployed to address all three concerns, with sculptural earthworks creating a natural security buffer, making the building part of the regional landscape, and creating a pleasurable working environment both inside and out. In addition, three interior courtyards and several green roof terraces allow natural light into all adjacent interior office spaces.

Daiichi Mutual Insurance Shin-Ohi Office Landscape

The courtyards provide an indoor connection to the natural world for occupants of the space, and offer a refreshing venue for business meetings, café breaks, and serendipitous encounters.