admin, Author at Garde Design Magazine

Tokyo Tatemono, Project to Relocate Head Office – New style office where lively workers generate a new energy.

In 2020, GARDE was involved in the relocation project of Tokyo Tatemono’s head office, and was responsible for concept planning, basic and implementation design, as well as project management. Located in front of the Yaesu Exit of Tokyo Station of the former company’s headquarters, it has become the new target for a large-scale redevelopment project. The company decided to relocate its head office functions to the Tokyo Tatemono Yaesu Building and will take approximately five years until completion. Tokyo Tatemono has been providing offices for various large-scale projects based in the city center, situated in middle of the global city of Tokyo.

GARDE’s concept of office design
Last year, the concept of “redesigning the way we work,” was launched and started in 2019. Garde’s objective was to take the concept of ABW (Activity Based Working), which has been popular in Japan since around 2018 and take it a step further and embody it into office design.

Companies are expected to provide a comfortable environment for better work-life balance, or more specifically, their QOL, and enable them to perform at a higher level. This will lead to improved productivity and business performance, and ultimately to the realization of sustainability as a company. Garde designs the office in such a way that each employee can excel and their energy and productivity can influence other team members and departments to create new value and evolve as individuals.

Design Concept
What GARDE proposed for Tokyo Tatemono is an office that creates a new “flow”; a small but vigorous flow that starts with an individual or a small team, that will become an even larger flow involving those around it. The value created by this flow will ripple out into the city, and eventually return from the city to the office, which is the underlying image of this design.

The mechanisms for creating flow are arranged in a variety of ways. Not only are there free-address desks in the department available, but there are also several spaces that can be used for multiple purposes, rather than simply allowing people to freely choose their seats. For example, by removing barriers and creating free lines of flow, some areas are open so more interaction and cooperation can naturally occur, while others can be made to be moderately closed off in order to enhance focus and concentration.

Atelier Zone
Work can be done in a space that inspires creativity, surrounded by bookshelves lined with specialized texts.

Park Zone
Adding greenery to the space, giving the comfort of being in a park and induce imagination

Scandiamoss
A wall of soothing natural moss creates a relaxing space and enables communication that transcends barriers

Concentration booths
Quiet booths that block out sound increase concentration and work efficiency

Creating a comfortable space based on data
Another feature of this office is that, not only is it beautiful and comfortable from a sensory point of view, but its layout and capacity have been determined based on data-based analysis. For this office relocation project, Tokyo Tatemono conducted a survey of the hourly attendance rate of employees, the distribution of where they tend to stay, and the occupancy rate of conference rooms, including an online questionnaire for employees. By incorporating various indicators into a matrix, Garde was able to survey each space and uncover problem areas. By reflecting the results of this analysis in the design, Garde produced a more effective work environment, providing a space that matches the actual situation.

Scope of work
Concept planning, basic planning, basic design, implementation design, supervision
Scope of floors: 2F, 3F, 5F, 7F, 8F, 9F, 10F (*Floors 2F, 3F, and 5F are partial)

Property Information
Location: Tokyo Tatemono Yaesu Building, 1-4-16 Yaesu, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Scale: 10 floors above ground, 2 floors below ground
Area occupied by Tokyo Tatemono: 7,678.44m2
Relocation Period: From May to September 2020
Number of Tokyo Tatemono workers: approx. 570

UNESCO Heritage Sites to Visit when Travel Allows

Trend

Our travel bucket lists are put on hold for a while due to the global pandemic, and as lockdowns are slowly lifting, and as countries will hopefully begin reopening their borders, we are all looking forward to traveling again. This experience teaches us to be mindful of our environment and how we can create a catalyst in preserving cultural heritage for the next generation to explore.

Enjoy a relaxing and environmentally conscious stay by visiting these UNESCO Heritage sites that can inspire your next adventure when travel permits, featuring outstanding architectural wonders of cultural and historical value.

Taj Mahal India

A symbolic icon of India’s affluent history, the embodiment of Mughal architecture at its finest, this ivory-white mausoleum, with its bizarre luster and texture, is a true “monument of love” built by Shah Jahan to mourn the death of his beloved wife. The monument covers an area of 42 acres surrounded by lush green gardens, lovely pools, and fountains.

The chief designer of this mesmerizing union of Indian, Islamic, and Persian architectural styles was Ustad Ahmad, who was an architect in the court of Shah Jahan from Lahore. ‘A teardrop on the cheek of eternity’ is how the famous Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore described one of the most fascinating architectural marvels in the world.

Kiyomizu-dera (Japan)

One of the most visited and celebrated temples in Kyoto named after a sacred waterfall located on the hillside which means “Pure Water Temple” (Kiyo-mizu-dera). It features a distinctive wooden stage complex made of 168 pillars and offers an exceptional panoramic view of Kyoto rising from a sea of maple trees.

The main sanctuary of this temple is what makes it iconic. The wooden structure of this building that overhangs the mountain is called “Kiyomizu no Butai”. The worship hall is supported underneath by a complex weave of wooden beams. One of the highlights of Kiyomizu-dera is the Koyasu, a notable three-story pagoda inspired by Momoyama architecture, originally designed to house sacred texts and relics.

Potala Palace (Tibet)

The historic ensemble of the Potala Palace symbolizes the pinnacle of Tibetan architecture with gold roofs soar high above the town and rise more than 300 meters above the bottom of the valley. Situated on the red hill in the northwest of Lhasa, this grand architectural heritage site covers an area of over 360,000 square meters and is a complex of palaces, castles, and temples which is at the highest elevation, of the largest scale, and is the most well-preserved.

The main structure measures 400 meters by 350 meters. Its sloping stone walls covered in clay aver 3 to 5 meters thick. Molten copper was poured into the foundations in order to protect the building against earthquakes.

Angkor Wat (Cambodia)

Angkor Wat, a classic example of Khmer architecture consisting of pyramids and concentric corridors, is located deep in the Cambodian forest and its magnificent spires are the pride of Cambodia.

Angkor Wat sits in the midst of a vast archaeological complex of more than 400 square kilometers, and its hundreds of ruins use about 10 million pieces of stone weighing 1.5 tons, more than the pyramids of Egypt. The iconic lotus-shaped skyscrapers, vast walls, and endless corridors are adorned with ornate carvings. These sculptures represent historical events and folklore stories of Angkor Wat. The World Heritage Site is not only a global masterpiece that combines human creativity and cultural significance, but also a way to boost tourism and the local economy.

The World Heritage Site is not only a global masterpiece that combines human creativity and cultural significance, but also a way to boost tourism and the local economy.

Sources:

https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/252/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiyomizu-dera
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potala_Palace
https://www.britannica.com/place/Angkor

The Royal Park Canvas Ginza 8 – A place where people gather to create something new

Project

The Royal Park Canvas Ginza 8 was designed by GARDE with the aim of stylizing common areas of the hotel. The concept lies in the creation of a canvas, a meeting place where creations are made when people gather. They prefer not to call it a hotel, as they envision the space to be non-traditional, having its own style and formality. They see this as a meeting point where a masterpiece is created simply by being there.

2F CANVAS LOUNGE

M2F FLAVORS & SOUND CULTURE LOUNGE

Co-working spaces have now become the new standard in today’s dynamic working environment. Since its opening, Canvas has provided a high-quality and comfortable space where people can spend their time working and being creative.

Ms. Hiroko Seki, General Manager, shares how customers are actually using the space and the current initiatives:

“The Royal Park Canvas Ginza 8 celebrated its second anniversary last March 20, 2021. We are grateful to our guests from Japan and overseas, our partner companies, the local community, and all of our hotel staff for helping us reach this milestone despite a being in difficult times due to the pandemic. Our brand, Canvas, is an innovative hotel concept within Royal Park Hotels.

Our team does not wear uniforms or have to conform to any style as we adapt the Canvas philosophy of fun, localization and connection. Our staff believes in having fun while working and creating fresh ideas every day to make the hotel a better place to stay. In the first year of operation, we held regular events as a place for guests to connect and continue to with events for networking and content sharing. Currently, as a place to connect online, we hold events mainly on Instagram on an irregular basis.

In this significant time of the ‘new normal‘, I am looking forward to seeing what more we can do in the future. In spite of the challenges in the tourism industry and global economy, we will continue to put safety and security first but never forget to have fun, so we hope you will continue to visit The Royal Park Canvas Ginza 8.“

13F CONCEPT ROOM

Work description: Hotel common area design

The Royal Park Canvas Ginza 8
Opening date: Wednesday, March 20, 2019
Location: 8-9-4 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Structure and scale: Steel-framed structure, 14 floors above ground, 47.7 meters high
Number of guest rooms: 121 (floors 3-13)
Ancillary facilities: 1st floor cafe, 2nd floor lounge, private kitchen, music library, fitness gym, 13th floor concept room, 14th floor restaurant

THE ME Launches with New Retail Concept

Project

Fashion label, THE ME, opened their first store on July 2020 in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo. Branding and design agency GARDE was involved in concept planning and construction of their new concept store, where products are customized based on customer’s taste and style.

“Our products are not mass-produced and are tailored to each individual” is the concept of THE ME. This newly launched brand does not sell ready-to-wear clothes and creates clothing that reflects customer’s personal preference based on body shape, size, and silhouette. THE ME uses cutting-edge technology with their 3D body scanner located in a private fitting room.

By producing clothes only after receiving orders from end users, THE ME aims to create a sustainable fashion brand by eliminating excess inventory and avoiding overproduction as well as the unnecessary waste in the industry.

Personalized and efficient customer service is expected at THE ME. Customers take a maximum of 90 minutes to try out their clothing, and payment is made online only after customers are fully satisfied with their orders. The delivery time takes about two weeks after payment.

The store concept revolves around the idea of “clearing the fog”, where the customers see the store as a place for clarity and comfort while shopping. The key color scheme of the store uses navy and silver, which are the same as the brand colors of THE ME, creating a stylish atmosphere. They also balanced this with warm materials and colors so that customers can relax and choose clothes, in a gender-neutral space that is comfortable for everyone.

Scope of work: Concept Planning, Schematic Design, Design Development, Construction

THE ME Jingumae
Opening: July 7, 2020
Location: 2F iori Omotesando, 6-31-11 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Phone number: 03-4233-4000
Hours of operation11:00-20:00
Holidays: Tuesday
Floor space: 248.19m2

Asia: Green Initiatives in Hospitality

Trend

Luxury travel and sustainability may have seemed like two mutually exclusive concepts, but ecologically sound tourism has swept the hospitality industry. Numerous hotel companies in Asia have progressively been encouraging environmentally friendly practices in sustainability through developmental and operational approaches. This is done in correlation to the United Nations World Tourism Organization research that international tourism generates five percent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions.

Embracing green practices as one of their core strategies, sustainable initiatives go beyond reforestation programs, eco-resorts and the implementation of energy-efficient practices, these stunning hotels and resorts in Asia allow you to check into comfort while reducing your carbon footprint.

1. The Marina Bay Sands–Singapore

An integrated Luxury Hotel resort certified as the largest single Green Mark Building in Singapore with three, 55-story towers linked by a cantilevered roof with a park atop. It attracts nearly 45 million visitors per year.

Along with its US$18.8 million intelligent building management system that uses automation to resourcefully run water and energy, it features elevators with regenerative drives that use 40 percent less energy than traditional elevators, a water-saving system in its iconic infinity pool, energy-efficient LED bulbs in its guest room 2,561 guest rooms and an energy-saving chilled-water air-conditioning system. The “Green Meeting” spaces at Sands Expo and Convention Center utilize electronic sales tools, recyclable office supplies and authentic dishware and glassware in order to conserve paper, labour and shipping costs.

Devoted to supporting Singapore’s approach to building a sustainable, resource-efficient, and climate-rich nation, Marina Bay Sands has fine-tuned their 2020 focus on the five key pillars: Climate Response, Water, Waste and Circularity, Sustainable Food and Culture, and Capacity Building. These pillars reflect their adaptive approach in their corporate sustainability and commitment to providing a top-notch experience to their patrons, all while aligning this to their mission to reduce the carbon footprint.

2. Grand Hyatt – Jakarta, Indonesia

Set amongst a canopy of lush tropical trees, the five-star eco-friendly hotel pioneered the installation of 45 photovoltaic Solar panels as a sustainable approach to deal with climate change and environmental turmoil. The Grand Hyatt has also switched to energy-efficient LED light bulbs and installed motion sensor lights in various areas of the hotel, ensuring eco-friendly initiatives for energy conservation.

In terms of daylight strategies, the solar panels power up to 20 guestrooms daily, which decreases the carbon footprint by 400 tonnes of Carbon dioxide over 30 years, equating to around 170,000 liters of vehicular gasoline. Committed to environmental stewardship, they are gradually phasing out single-use plastic and replacing them with viable eco- friendly options. To raise more awareness around environmental sustainability, Hyatt introduced EcoTrack, a data monitoring system for energy and water consumption, waste generation, and greenhouse gas emissions for Hyatt-managed, full-service hotels globally.

For 2021, they refined their strategies to build upon ongoing efforts related to climate change, water stewardship, waste, sourcing, and caring for communities. Grand Hyatt is committed to envisioning a sustainable future while offering one-of-a-kind eco-space for their clients.

3. Soneva Kiri – Thailand

Nestled amongst natural rainforest and remote islands, this eco-luxury five-star resort sets the benchmark in luxury as well as sustainable tourism, upholding SLOW LIFE philosophy: Sustainable, Local, Organic, Wellness, Learning, Inspiring, Fun, and Experiences. Built-in prioritizing sustainability, this 100% carbon neutral resort planted more than 500,000 trees in Thailand, creating over 300 acres of affluent biodiversity and decreasing CO2 emissions by more than 250,000 tons. Dine confidently knowing that your meal was grown naturally in the resort’s organic garden.

As a company, they progressively develop green initiative projects that create a positive impact on the environment, social and economic aspect through active recycling, organic farming, smart composting and water-recycling system. In February 2020, they inaugurated the opening of an Eco Center and water bottling plant where all the of the drinking water served is filtered, mineralized, alkalized, and bottled on-site in reusable glass bottles.

Soneva Kiri is carbon neutral, committed to include integrative, responsible tourism in their core operational strategy. They are closely working with natural environments to create exceptional experiences for their valued guests.

4. The Datai Langkawi – Malaysia

A luxurious eco-tourism resort situated in the heart of a 10-million-year-old rainforest, Datai Langkawi is the first resort in the world to join the EarthCheck ECO (Terrestrial) Certification Program which encourages sustainable tourism organizations to lessen their environmental footprints and support local communities while maximizing guest experiences with tranquil spaces and luxe facilities worthy of the resort’s 5-star stature.

As a pledge to eco-friendly practices, the resort cultivated a Permaculture Garden and a self-guided tour of the Gulai House Trail, allowing guests to experience sustainable food production, fresh from farm to table. The organic wealth center features an organic worm farm which assists with the disintegration of buffalo manure and food waste to generate bio-fertilizer. This composting station converts 300 to 700kg of food waste daily. They also use a filtration system where the water from the sewage treatment plant is pumped to the wetlands to be purified by plants. Over the years, Datai Langkawi has made sustainability a key component to its strategy in protecting its unique natural habitat, while providing international quality service to global travelers.

5. Song Saa Private Island Resort – Cambodia

An eco-luxe resort basking in pristine nature at Koh Rong Islands, Song Saa takes pride in its resort aesthetic inspired by the natural environment and eco-friendly practices such as recycling, composting, and building with sustainable, locally sourced material.

Committed to minimizing the carbon footprint of importing construction materials, they sourced local sandstone for their villa structures and upcycled timber from disintegrated shipping boats from a nearby estuary. Resort furniture is crafted from high-quality driftwood from local beaches. The integrated resort also features a variety of bespoke art pieces printed on canvas and framed with wood sourced from recycled fishing boats. Song Saa upholds a 360-degree approach in sustainable tourism and hospitality committed to providing an eco-friendly experience for travelers.

Source:

https://www.unwto.org/news/tourisms-carbon-emissions-measured-in-landmark-report-launched-at-cop25

https://www.marinabaysands.com/content/dam/singapore/marinabaysands/master/main/home/environmental-sustainability/commitments/MBS-Sustainability-Highlights-Report-2019.pdf

https://www.ibcsd.or.id/ibcsd-events/sustainable-business-award-2017/

https://green-hotel.org/2015/09/11/a-luxury-eco-resort-in-thailand-2/

https://sg.asiatatler.com/life/eco-friendly-malaysian-hotels-on-our-travel-list-this-year

https://www.songsaa-privateisland.com/en/blog/2019/06/17/design/the-sustainable-design-of-song-saa/73-16/

https://soneva.com/soneva-jani/soneva-jani-chapter-two