Silver Interior Space and Exhibition Design · 2025
Recruit Umeda Office Interiors
by Good Place
- A' Design Award 2025 Silver Winner in Interior Space and Exhibition Design
- Awarded April 15, 2025
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 18,624
- Verification code FC38DB1E26 · Verify this award
About Recruit Umeda Office Interiors
Recruit Umeda is dedicated to fostering a dynamic and innovative work environment, with a focus on forging connections across different domains, given that there are over 3000 employees. The office layout has been meticulously planned to optimize balance between concentration and communication by promoting a sound environment and facilitating visual flow. There are dedicated spaces to encourage casual interactions and collaboration, embodying the essence of Osaka and promoting a sense of community.
Recruit Umeda Office Interiors by GOOD PLACE exemplifies the evolving paradigm of contemporary workplace design wherein traditional boundaries between corporate environments and hospitality spaces dissolve into hybrid territories fostering community, collaboration, and wellbeing. This interior intervention demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of how spatial organization, material selection, and chromatic strategy collectively shape occupant experience and organizational culture. The designers appear to have drawn inspiration from the vibrant atmosphere of urban food markets and public gathering spaces, translating these qualities into a professional context through carefully calibrated gestures: suspended signage employing playful typography and warm color accents evokes the visual language of casual dining establishments while maintaining the refined material palette expected of corporate environments. The sweeping curve of the mezzanine structure introduces architectural drama and a sense of generous volume, its perforated metal balustrade providing visual permeability while defining distinct spatial zones. Particularly noteworthy is the terrazzo flooring treatment, where subtle transitions between warm and cool tonal zones create intuitive wayfinding without explicit demarcation, suggesting thoughtful consideration of circulation patterns and behavioral psychology. The integration of biophilic elements through substantial indoor plantings reflects contemporary understanding of how natural elements support cognitive function and emotional wellbeing in workplace settings. One might observe how the varied seating typologies accommodate diverse work modes and social configurations, from focused individual tasks to informal gatherings and structured collaboration. How might such environments influence the nature of work itself, and what possibilities emerge when workplace design embraces the connective qualities traditionally associated with public life?
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Located in a 41-story skyscraper, Recruit Umeda has four floors of office areas and two break room.
In this project, we focused on building "connections" between people and areas by incorporating the characteristics of Osaka, the location of the office, functional needs, and environmental considerations. The goal was to facilitate "cross-floor connections and acquaintances in other areas" through communication born from the office. - Dimensions & Packaging
- 11803.17sqm
33F: 20100mm×85000mm×2800mm - Tags
- Office OfficeInterior, Workplace, Workspace, OfficeDesign, Communication
- Production Technology
- The refresh space designated as "CO-EN (33)" on the 33rd floor has been planned with the concept of "Zoning according to the depth of communication" to create an environment conducive to business development. The space will feature a communication board and a semi-circular counter, serving as the starting point for conversations. The variety of fixtures will ensure the space can accommodate a range of users, communication levels, and activities.
- Design Challenge
- Concurrently, the company modified the layout of other sites in response to a client's request to convert more than 600 pieces of furniture, including desks, chairs, sofas, and cabinets, from sites across the country to reduce environmental impact. There was a concern that the overall balance might be lost due to the repurposing of a large number of furniture with different tastes, but we were able to design without losing the sense of uniformity of the design by making various efforts such as painting the legs.
- Project Duration
- The design phase commenced in October 2023 and concluded in September 2024, with construction commencing in May 2024 and being finalized in November in Osaka.
- Operation Flow
- In order to optimize the work environment and improve productivity, it is essential to provide a sound-environment-friendly space. This is particularly important in open work areas. On the same floor, both call centers and quiet focus areas are situated in close proximity, though they are not directly adjacent to each other. To foster an environment where employees in both areas are happy, meeting spaces and low partitions have been strategically placed between them.
- Research
- Regarding the research on the office renovation, an employee satisfaction survey was first conducted to define the problems. We were concerned about the difference between Recruit's goal and the Umeda base, which were described as follows: the office is too large and versatile, thus people do not know about what other teams do, and it was lacking communication. To address these problems, we established three measures: "Community," "Collaboration," and "Osaka-ness."
- Inspiration
- In order to accentuate the distinctiveness of each location, a design that underscores the unique qualities of Osaka was implemented. Given Osaka's historical significance as a vibrant merchant town and its notable features such as food culture and humor, zoning to promote communication was featured. A diverse color palette has been employed to create an engaging and dynamic environment, with dialects from Osaka incorporated into the design following consultation with native speakers.
- Image Credits
- Keiko Chiba （Nacasa ＆ Partners）