The Meiken Lamwood corp. is a Japanese leading company of engineered wood. The head office building is expected to be a full-scale showroom of their products, and also to be a new central space for their various communication.
The structural frame system consists of the diagonal grid columns made of plywood, and the V-shape CLT beams spanning between them. The folded roofs and exterior walls composed of large CLT panels wrap the whole interior space with the strong existence of Japanese cider wood.
The two-story building has an atrium as a gathering space at the center and working spaces arranged around it. The atrium floor at the ground level has close relationship both to the first floor situated half-underground and the second floor on top of it. By shifting the structural frame units according to the site, the interior space is gently articulated by the diagonal grid columns and gains the flowing movement at the same time. The continuous and intimate atmosphere of the interior space make people feel somehow connected and relaxed.
The transparent south facade with the diagonal grid columns expresses the warm image and the open future of the company, whereas the east and west facades are covered with CLT walls and Kebony timber finishings which achieved well air-tighten building envelope. After gathering under one roof from dispersed work places, their new working style using the free address seats and the communication cafe has begun the first year of a hundred year long lasting cultural landscape in Maniwa.