Inside A Creative Haven In Tokyo For Artisanal Companies

A collaboration between architect Moriyuki Ochiai and creative-direction firm Harumaki Project for client Japan Post Real Estate, this 2,050-square-foot coworking office in Tokyo is aimed at artisanal companies that use traditional Japanese manufacturing techniques. The design teams sought to evoke that craft heritage while also reflecting the history of the location, formerly paddy fields. That once-watery landscape is mirrored in the ceiling of the public zones, a broad swath of shiny, wavelike elements cascading like a surging river overhead.

Just as a kimono is sewn from one roll of cloth or origami is folded from one sheet of paper, the dynamic installation comprises a single strip of recycled aluminum that loops, curls, and overlaps, glimmering and gleaming like light dancing on water. As the ceiling unfolds, its height changes and the turbulence of its surface varies: In the entry, the flow is intense and the vertical shifts dramatic, producing a sense of movement and possibility; above the kitchen and bar, the canopy is kept low and calm for an intimate, conversational atmosphere; and in the largest, multipurpose area, the height increases and the waves becomes more regular, generating an open, light-filled space ripe for creativity. No wonder the Co-Lab Gotanda project’s dubbed “waterscape office.”