Recruit Umeda Interiors d'Oficina

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.

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.

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.

Image Credits

Keiko Chiba （Nacasa ＆ Partners）