Changing work styles through architecture: Sengawa Kewport
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“The solution to a challenge is always in the voice of the client.” Sengawa Kewport, the new corporate office building of Kewpie Corporation, was completed after some three years of talks at workshops. Just as these words of Ken Sato, who was in charge of its design, we believe that Nikken Sekkei’s work place design technology is encapsulated in this process of drawing out the client’s answer.
Unravelling the current situation to find the problems, and reweaving this into a proper form—thorough understanding of the existing circumstances is crucial to this process. And this process itself can even have a greater impact on the client than the newly created space. It is thus important to advance a project while mindful of not only the creation of space, but also of what this space can offer to the client and users. Here, we introduce this design process through a case study of Sengawa Kewport.
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Sengawa Kewport: Kewpie’s new corporate office building that surpasses the walls of companies and divisions
Sengawa Kewport was a project utilizing the former site of the Kewpie Sengawa factory. One important theme of this project was to build a new office building that is suitable for congregating the Kewpie group companies. In order for different companies of the same group to come together and produce synergistic effects, it is crucial to have a space that can facilitate communication which surpasses the walls of companies, divisions and other frameworks.
The process that was taken for realization of synergistic effects for the group as a whole was the workshop style. Based on opinions such as “we want to avoid partiality toward the views of one company” and “we don’t want to uphold the one-sided views of some, but want to thoroughly and equally grasp the situation on the ground,” workshops were held for some three years.
Views drawn out at the workshop
The workshop was started by calling on various people to participate in a project team. First, a team comprising several employees from each company, centering on middle management and young employees who shoulder the future of the company, was formed to gather a diversity of views This was with the aim of hearing not only their ideas on the project but also their feelings such as their passion toward and pride in their work. In addition, as women make up over half of the employees, we worked to thoroughly draw out views that are specific to women. Female perspectives concerning fine details, from how they use the lockers and powder rooms to what they do with their boots, were incorporated to a great extent.
Drawing a picture of daily life to discover a new “place where you belong.”
Furthermore, so that we can extract a true picture of the daily work routine, we had one person selected from each company and each department keep a diary about work. This allowed us to draw a picture of the everyday life of each, including such thoughts as “it’s troublesome to clean up afterwards.”
For example, when it was considered that the new building cannot have a warehouse, it was understood that the use of paper needed to be reduced. All files are laid out in a line and measured the length then, the figures obtained were plotted on a graph, and the representatives of each of the departments were assembled for a meeting. Interviewing the departments with low paper usage about their tips, and those with high paper usage for the reason. The conclusion reached was that determining what need to keep on paper and to be digitalized. The inclusion of such a process thus generated the opportunity to enhance awareness of the need to reduce use of paper.
For example, when it was considered that the new building cannot have a warehouse, it was understood that the use of paper needed to be reduced. All files are laid out in a line and measured the length then, the figures obtained were plotted on a graph, and the representatives of each of the departments were assembled for a meeting. Interviewing the departments with low paper usage about their tips, and those with high paper usage for the reason. The conclusion reached was that determining what need to keep on paper and to be digitalized. The inclusion of such a process thus generated the opportunity to enhance awareness of the need to reduce use of paper.
Creation of an open workplace by reducing confining meeting rooms
Meeting rooms also underwent changes by reflecting many opinions. First, interviews were held to hear details on how each company is using its conference rooms. Studies were conducted to learn not only about how much the rooms are used, but even on the contents of the meeting to closely examine whether what should be taking place in that room was actually being done. As a result, we proposed a large shift in work style from that in which people tended to confine themselves in meetings, to one that will facilitate more active communication.
The first step we took was to boldly reduce meeting rooms. In place of them, numerous open meeting places that can facilitate communication were created. We also proposed matters concerning work styles such as use of the employee cafeteria at times other than lunchtime and introduction of a free-address system where desks are not assigned and can be freely used.
The start of new work styles and Sengawa Kewport
Sengawa Kewport, which was completed in this way, is a facility that has incorporated many details to deepen communication between companies and divisions: a triangular office structure where everyone can maintain a broad perspective and always see each other, and a layer-cake structure in which office floors and laboratory floors are stacked alternately to maximize the synergistic effects of the group companies.
The good impacts of the workshops were not just felt in the facility design. The results that came out of the workshops were at times valued at Kewpie even more than the opinions of the top management. Of course, not all that was absorbed from the field was reflected in the design, but going through this process raised awareness that this is “an office that was made together,” and this awareness is contributing to the operation of the office at present.
Sato, who has been involved with Kewpie since the days of previous chairman Yuichi Nakashima, says, “I am very happy to have been able to help the company in handing down to the next generation its magnificent corporate culture expressed in the corporate motto of ‘Raku-gyou-kai-etsu’ (True enjoyment in the work place should be achieved through the process of working together toward common goals).” This was how the new corporate building, where the group companies can be united as one while carrying on the philosophy that is Kewpie’s tradition, was completed.
