Yamaichi Jisho New Building Project

Based on the concept of "NEXT HOME," this is a new office building project that will be the foundation for the next generation for Yamaichi Jisho, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary since its founding. In response to the request from the company's president, Watanabe, that "we don't want a building that's just cool. We want a building that has life," we held multiple workshops for all employees and the preparatory committee, and filled every corner of the new office building with the thoughts of each employee, fostering a sense of it being "our office."
Through this project, the motivation of each employee has changed and new interactions have been generated both inside and outside the company.
A highly original "office just for us" has been created here, which will help Yamaichi Jisho resolve the issues they expect from the company, such as communication, recruiting, and passing on their DNA.

· While the company is growing rapidly and requires adequate office facilities, it is currently operating from five separate buildings, making it difficult for departments to communicate with each other.
・We would like to expand our recruiting efforts in order to further grow the company.
-How can we inherit and convey the DNA of Yamaichi Jisho as we move beyond our 50th anniversary?
There were the above requests and issues.

In order to realize the concept of "NEXT HOME," we implemented the following:
[Planning]
● Holding workshops for all employees
In a workshop for all employees, we collected thoughts and ideas about "future ways of working" and created a basic plan.
● Holding a work style workshop in the new office
After that, representatives were selected from each department and we held repeated workshops, which led to an upgrade of the basic plan.
[concept design]
● DNA stairs are placed in the center of the building.
We aimed to unify the company by providing mechanisms that allow employees to feel the flow of each floor and see the faces of people on other floors, and we expressed the connection between people through a gradient concept design that incorporates the blue corporate color, which represents the company's DNA.
● Employee communication space located on the 4th floor
A cafe space was set up on the fourth floor to promote communication between employees. It is not only used as a place for employees to have lunch, but also for in-house social gatherings, seminars for students and recruits, and is a base for various exchange projects.
[Planning & concept design]
● "Yamaichi Estate Green Project"
While many fresh flowers are sent to celebrate the completion of construction, they usually have to be disposed of within a week. Therefore, we proposed this project with the aim of "connecting the sender's feelings for as long as possible." We collect donations from supporting companies, purchase greenery to decorate the company building, and use a portion of the proceeds to create a system for cultivating greenery within the company.
● Proposal for upcycling using discarded documents
By making coasters for guest service out of recycled paper mixed with chamomile seeds, we have created an upcycling cycle that can be used to create new greenery by planting them in a pot and growing them.
● Preservation of the temporary enclosure art project created with local people
To embody the idea of being a company rooted in the local community, we adopted a portion of the artwork as part of concept design on the wall of the exchange space on the fourth floor. This project inherited the corporate culture of Yamaichi Jisho and marked a step forward in our new history.

By holding company-wide workshops and interviews and gathering a lot of internal feedback, and then reflecting that in the plans, we were able to create an "office that people want to come to."
With the DNA Stairs and cafe space as a starting point, interaction both inside and outside the company has naturally increased, and employee-generated ideas for operating the new office building are springing up one after another.
We would like to continue related initiatives such as green projects and upcycling in the future.