Earth Centric Design Lab / Takeshi Hosaka Architects
Text description provided by the architects. This is the interior renovation for the new office of the Earth Centric Design Lab (ECD), a newly established subsidiary of TBWA HAKUHODO. The company regards the Earth as an important stakeholder and aims to shift the focus of all its designs from “human-centered” to “Earth-centered.” Based on this concept, we carried out a super Earth-friendly interior renovation project that provides space and time for thinking about the Earth.
The furniture and waste materials from the old office were classified into four categories: reuse in the new office, reuse elsewhere, recycling as a resource, or proper disposal, and were prioritized in that order. The three parties, clients, designers, and contractors, worked together to manage the waste materials and execute their intended reuse or disposal. The original plan was to have zero waste, with no materials falling into category four: disposal through incineration/landfill. However, due to a transportation error, wood and paper waste were mistakenly taken to the wrong location and disposed of, and the project’s intended overall reuse rate of 100% dropped to 95.5%.
Existing materials were used as much as possible; instead of removing the existing flooring and brick walls, a leveling paint was poured over the existing floor, and the walls were covered with plasterboard, significantly reducing the amount of waste. Paint, LED lights, carpet tiles, furniture, etc., from the old office or from waste materials were also reused, and new purchases/installations were selected with the goal of minimizing environmental impact.
The various rooms necessary for the “Earth-Centric Design Lab” were transformed into six spaces that would provide space and time for thinking about the Earth.
The Earth Space: We obtained map data from ancient times to the present (and also confirmed the copyright), printed it (film print) on a transparent tempered glass tabletop, and conceived a spatial design in which the light from the lighting directly above the table falls on the floor, projecting an image of the map onto the floor.
ECD Entrance: The entrance wall is painted blue, the company color, and was mixed by a painter using leftover paint cans from other sites. The three letters of the company logo “ECD” were created with a 3D printing material called “Shelltech,” developed by Koshi Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., to reuse scallop shells as printing material.
Polar Bear Hall: In the workshop space, we placed a polar bear, a recycled art piece by Seiya Kaji. This life-size polar bear was made using scraps (domestic chestnut wood) generated during the production of the Earth Space tables. This space also serves as an in-house break lounge, where people can bring their laptops and work freely, or hold meetings with a few people.
Blue Counter: A counter was installed against the south-facing window to reduce the fear of opening the windows, creating a space where employees can work while looking outside. In the evening, timed blue lights installed on the counter are turned on, creating a gradation of blue light across the 45m horizontal space.
Workspace, Meeting Room: The workspace is made of recycled materials for the majority of the space. The carpet tiles on the floor, the laminated glass partitions and sliding doors/rails, the vertical bars for the locks, and the air conditioner are all reused from the office before demolition.
Whole Earth Library: This is a library where the Whole Earth Catalogue (a favorite of Steve Jobs) is displayed on the wall. This book is famous for capturing the Earth from a bird’s-eye view, and as a trace of humankind’s thinking about the finite global environment.
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