Kengo Kuma’s mobile offices reduce boundaries between architecture and furniture design

The selection of experimental co-working spaces connects employees with the surrounding Japanese nature.

KuMo Office. Higashikawa, Hokkaido, Japan. Image courtesy of Kuma Mobile Office/Kengo Kuma and Associates.

KuMo Office. Higashikawa, Hokkaido, Japan. Image courtesy of Kuma Mobile Office/Kengo Kuma and Associates.

KuMo Office. Higashikawa, Hokkaido, Japan. Image courtesy of Kuma Mobile Office/Kengo Kuma and Associates.

KuMo Office. Higashikawa, Hokkaido, Japan. Image courtesy of Kuma Mobile Office/Kengo Kuma and Associates.

KuMo Office. Higashikawa, Hokkaido, Japan. Image courtesy of Kuma Mobile Office/Kengo Kuma and Associates.

Kuma Mobile Offices, or KuMo Offices, are a selection of experimental co-working spaces designed by Kengo Kuma, which will be installed throughout Japan. The first edition of these mobile offices is the “KAGU House” in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, but the architecture studio has already designed a wooden satellite office in another Hokkaido city, Higashikawa. Composed of local wood and earthquake-resistant walls, the wooden offices provide a warm and safe environment, that connects employees with surrounding nature.

Higashikawa is famous for its production of wooden furniture. Kengo Kuma and Associates then collaborated with these factories to shape the workspace: a group of three local wooden units with sloping roofs. Each volume can accommodate up to 12 people and has a kitchen, bathroom, living area, and meeting room. In addition, the complex is connected to the nearby municipal library.

This project represents a new experiment, focusing on local materiality and reducing the boundaries between architecture and furniture.

KuMo Office. Higashikawa, Hokkaido, Japan.

Image courtesy of Kuma Mobile Office/Kengo Kuma and Associates.

KuMo Office. Higashikawa, Hokkaido, Japan.

Image courtesy of Kuma Mobile Office/Kengo Kuma and Associates.

KuMo Office. Higashikawa, Hokkaido, Japan.

Image courtesy of Kuma Mobile Office/Kengo Kuma and Associates.

KuMo Office. Higashikawa, Hokkaido, Japan.

Image courtesy of Kuma Mobile Office/Kengo Kuma and Associates.

KuMo Office. Higashikawa, Hokkaido, Japan.

Image courtesy of Kuma Mobile Office/Kengo Kuma and Associates.