PERHAPS THE TERRACES OF THIS GARDEN OVERLOOK ONLY THE LAKE OF OUR MIND -Italo Calvino 

I imagined a building like an imaginary city, a city with an almost haphazard grouping of courtyards, all different. I wanted to create within in a relative small space, clusters of small worlds with ever changing views. From wherever you are in the space you would see a garden. And every garden would be different, some could be allotments that the staff could use to plant vegetables others could be rose gardens, or Japanese, or English gardens,. Others could be outer worldly gardens like the French artist Jean Giraud imagined them. There would be no rules for these gardens, as these gardens could be the exact opposite of the very precise work performed on the inside. For me there is something mythical, magical about these floating gardens. Emile Zola unkindly said that park and gardens are imprisoned pieces of nature, but I think the creation of a garden in general is our deep human desire to re-create the beauty of this world in all it’s possibilities. 

For the building, a concrete beam-and-post structure with triple insulated glass form the basic architectural elements. The cantilevers provide summertime shade for the terraces beneath. Inside the building, natural materials would be used in a minimalist design with very little colour. Large glass windows connect the interior with the gardens, creating a calming, nature-inspired workplace. The blueprint calls for the inclusion of as few lifts as possible, therefore encouraging employees to circulate via staircases, slopes and footbridges enforcing chance encounters. 

Keywords: Kyoto, R&D Office, Floating Garden, Courtyards, Chance Encounters, Garden of Eden