JAPAN'S BEST-DESIGNED RESEARCH LABS7 labs
Research buildings by Takenaka Corporation
Takenaka Corporation, one of Japan's big general contractors, designs and builds many corporate research centres. Here are the ones we list: an indoor running track, louvres shaped by the sun, bridges for chance meetings, and wooden terraces.
An all-weather running track inside the building
Louvres shaped by the sun's path
Three-level bridges for a circulation of knowledge
A research building with blue cubes floating in a three-storey atrium
Open areas of wooden terraces that shift and overlap
A research building surrounded by woods and water, with labs right next to offices
A “research institute in the forest” with tatami and camp-style meeting spaces
Planning a visit
Architects and visiting for these 7 labs
| Lab | Area | Design | Can you visit? |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASICS Institute of Sport Science, East Building | Hyogo | Takenaka Corporation | Not open to the public |
| PeptiDream Headquarters and Research Laboratory | Kanagawa | Takenaka Corporation | Not open to the public |
| Eisai Tsukuba Research Laboratories | Tsukuba | Takenaka Corporation | Not open to the public |
| Eiken Chemical Research Center North Building | Nogi | Takenaka Corporation (design and construction) | Not open to the public |
| Suntory World Research Center | Seika | Takenaka Corporation (design and construction) | Not open to the public |
| Yakult Central Institute Basic Research Building | Kunitachi | Takenaka Corporation (design and construction) | Not open to the public |
| Shonan Health Innovation Park (Shonan iPark) | Fujisawa | Basic design: Plantec Architects; detailed design and construction: Takenaka Corporation | Not open to the public |
From each company's or architect's official page. “—” means it does not say. “Not open to the public” means the official pages we used offer no public visits.
Questions visitors ask
Can I visit the labs in this collection?
No. These are working research sites, and the official pages we used offer no public visits. You can see them in the official photos and from the street outside.
Who designed the labs in this collection?
ASICS Institute of Sport Science, East Building: Takenaka Corporation; PeptiDream Headquarters and Research Laboratory: Takenaka Corporation; Eisai Tsukuba Research Laboratories: Takenaka Corporation; Eiken Chemical Research Center North Building: Takenaka Corporation (design and construction); Suntory World Research Center: Takenaka Corporation (design and construction); Yakult Central Institute Basic Research Building: Takenaka Corporation (design and construction).
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