Toshin Takarazuka 学校办公室

Press Kit

Unique Properties

Matsuo Gakuin preparatory school needed a new office space for its reception and meeting room. However, with the COVID19 pandemic hitting worldwide, this new space must protect its users while guaranteeing an uninterrupted functionality. The space is highlighted by a broken lightning shaped boards running along the office separating it to several entities through a series of alternating glass shields, protecting from the droplets and allowing air and documents circulation.

Dimensions & Packaging

Gross Built Area: 69sqm
W12740mm x D6885mm x H2490

Tags

Japan, office, covid, post-pandemic, virus, public, protection, shield, interior, work

Production Technology

Both the counter board and its duplicate hanging down from the ceiling were made as furniture pieces, each separated and assembled onsite. The boards were finished in white veneer, and their bases in black veneer. Only the top of the counter board was finished in special antiviral melamine veneer. The glass sheets were sandwiched using slits cut on both lower and upper boards and fixed using transparent caulking on the top board.

Design Challenge

The biggest challenge of this space was the noticeably short design period and a limited budget. This location came shortly after opening a previous one in Osaka, so the concept was kept and readjusted to fit into the space and the program. The challenge was to readjust the concept while creating a different space for a different location.

Research

The research in this project was conducted to find out how to ensure safety in a guest receiving office space in the time of global pandemic. The goal was to find a compromise between total safety of the users and the aesthetic values that the company cheers so dearly. What are the materials to be used and what kind of atmosphere that prevents depression or paranoia in these difficult times? But also, a design that can be operational and feels normal long after the pandemic is over.

Inspiration

This space was inspired by a multitude of solutions that have emerged in response to the global pandemic, that were put together in a way to respond to the functionality needs of the clients operational mode. The imperfections of each solution or the aesthetic value has evolved into the proposed project. All types of spaces from medical facilities to banking institutions were part of the study, that transcended the real world to step on scifi spaces.

Project Duration

Project start: December 2020.
Construction start: January 2021.
Project/Construction End: February 2021.

Location:
Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan.

Operation Flow

The counter divides the space into small entities. The guest area in the center and the staff area surrounding it. The undulation of the counter in a thunder shape creates separate subspaces that starches and its reflection on the mirror and glass makes the space look larger than it is. there is a reception counter, which is supplemented by a high counter. Then two consultation tables. The last consultation table is doubled by a video projection film for online meetings.

Image Credits

Image #1: photographer ©Stirling Elmendorf, NewNormal, 2021.
Image #2: photographer ©Stirling Elmendorf, NewNormal, 2021.
Image #3: photographer ©Stirling Elmendorf, NewNormal, 2021.
Image #4: photographer ©Stirling Elmendorf, NewNormal, 2021.
Image #5: photographer ©Stirling Elmendorf, NewNormal, 2021.