Aquiet collection of aging factories and outdated manufacturing plants, the Keihin industrial district of Tokyo seems light-years away from the city’s eye-popping, neon-clad commercial centers. But against this monochromatic backdrop, the AGC Quality Manufacturing Training Center, designed by Takenaka Corporation, positively glows. During the day, the building’s prominent, bullet-shaped south elevation reads as a series of concrete planes rhythmically interspersed with narrow strips of glass. But at night, when the building is illuminated from within, the masonry recedes and the transparent panels change the four-story structure into a graphic display of the color spectrum.
The center belongs to Japan’s largest glass manufacturer, Asahi Glass Company (AGC), a major supplier to the automotive, architecture, and electronics industries, as well as a producer of glass-related chemicals. Located in different parts of the country, AGC’s various sectors are physically isolated and fairly independent entities. But all of the organization’s companies anticipate the retirement of their highly skilled, baby-boomer workforce in the near future. This pressing reality generated a need for a joint facility where technical know-how could be transmitted to the next generation of employees. In 2005, AGC conducted an invited design competition for a training center on the grounds of its Keihin factory and awarded the commission to the building design department of Takenaka, one of Japan’s five major construction companies.
You have 0 complimentary articles remaining.
Unlimited access + premium benefits for as low as $1.99/month.