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space is a glossy white; and further inward, the stairwell space with elevators is a glossy black. Materials are used skillfully to represent those distinctions. This seems to give the building a sense of mystery related to the desires of people who want to come here with a girlfriend, or to satisfy their desire to possess something. In this sense, I see it as a great work whose design is consciously matched to the roles it is given.Interviewer: Several of the featured works are offices. What are your views on the workplace of the future?Onoda: I visited the Tokyo head office building of Takenaka Corporation today. There is an emphasis on discovering various possibilities in the expanse of the indoor space, instead of obsessing over the exterior. I felt that this was close to what I had previously considered in the course of office planning with Hitoshi Abe, Masashi Sogabe, Manabu Chiba, and Masashige Motoe.*6 This has been a matter of interest to me for some time. But recently, I think the question has become one of the business operator finding a work style approach, instead of having the work style approach dictated unilaterally by an architectural expert or a professional in the area of spaces. In other words, the new way of working is not defined by zoning, but emerges through circulation that incorporates redundancy, as I mentioned earlier. In this sense, the circulation of the building is unique and drew my interest. I'd like to have the chance to study it in more detail sometime. (laughing) The Shinko Building is one of the currently featured works in which the core is situated toward the edge of the site, while the main office floors are in the back. This is an unusual environment, and I am interested to see what kinds of businesses will be able to develop a work style that fits this kind of space. In the office building of Toho Studios, the places where light comes in and places where air comes in are separate. Soft light shines in from large windows reaching down to the floors, but overall the interior has many walls. This is good in terms of the perimeter and it has a correspondingly adequate capacity. These aspects are also incorporated well into the facade design. My thinking tends to be functionally oriented, and that may be the reason for my opinion; but I had a favorable impression, and I think it conveys a sense that the design was assembled as an extension from the question of how to use the interior. Perhaps because this is a special kind of workplace, it seems to hold the potential for a wide variety of work styles.Trust as an area of serviceInterviewer: You expressed interest in the windows of guest rooms on the upper hotel stories in the Toho Theatre Creation BuildingOnoda: Ordinarily in a hotel, there are a lot of restrictions including wet areas and predetermined modules. In this case, the wet areas are located close to the window side, which makes planning easier and also makes it possible to achieve a higher grade of quality even in small rooms. Sliding glass doors are used to give the small guest rooms a greater sense of openness, but they are narrow in width in order to maintain privacy. These strictly determined proportions were synchronized with the exterior panel stays and the window layout for a tight design. Even after construction began, we discussed this in detail and the need arose for greater precision of design. This was possible because of the advantages of integrated services from design to construction. For the client, the choice of integrated services from design to construction can cut both ways. It is also possible for the cost savings to be retained for additional construction spending. However, in this case, the value of the cost savings was returned to the client. I feel that this is a reflection of the outstanding fundamental capabilities of Takenaka Corporation. Still, having come that far, I think it would have been possible to take a little more risk regarding the panel design. In the case of studio type offices which I often work on, I think that they would have followed through a little more to make it the kind of work that sends a strong message to the urban landscape.Interviewer: Last, do you have any comments for the design department of Takenaka Corporation?Onoda: One often hears about the information asymmetry which exists between a construction company and a client. The construction client has much more information concerning building construction and maintenance than the client. In this kind of situation, there are two ways for a client to proceed with a project successfully. First, the client can hire an expert to oversee the project according to the client's intentions. This generally reduces the construction costs, but the client also has to pay a fee to the project manager, and the client takes on more risk regarding the project. Second, the client can order the project based on trust. Some would say that this is an old-fashioned approach and not rational, but there are lower transaction costs related to the project manager and supervision, and the risks borne by the client can be reduced because the builder takes on the active responsibility of completing the project. For transactions continuing on the long term, the latter trust-based approach can be less expensive. This also has the advantages of making it easier not only to ensure redundancy, as I discussed earlier, but also to devise creative solutions to problems that emerge. Since clients also face the problem of stock management, there is a related business of follow-up service. Clients prefer to consign such services to operators that they can trust. Such trust-based services over long time spans can provide a surprisingly high level of modern rationality. I have expressed it in rather technical terms, but it all boils down to goodwill, and this is what Takenaka has been doing all along. (laughing)Interviewer: Thank you very much for speaking with us today.(Interviewers: Hisao Nagai, Shin Yokobori, Nobuhiko Kakitani, Shinichi Kaku, Takumi Shigeno, Nobuhito Manabe, Tomoko Okada) *1 Private Finance Initiative (PFI): A method of creating infrastructure in which the capital, management skills, and technical capabilities of the private sector are utilized in the construction, maintenance, management, and operation of public facilities.*2 Akira Tsujimoto, Yasuaki Onoda, and Minoru Kanno. "Study of PFI Structure and Procurement of Public Buildings in Japan" .Journal of Architecture and Planning, Vol. 605, Jul. 2006.*3 Qualifications based selection (QBS): A method for architect selection. Selection is based on the architect's past achievements, capabilities, character, and so on, instead of proposals as in a competition. It offers the advantage of allowing deeper consideration without being restricted by a proposal. QBS has only been used in a small number of projects in Japan thus far, including the Yokosuka Museum of Art and Ina-Higashi Elementary School.*4 Redundancy: In the area of language, redundancy means that extra words are used in excess of the minimum words needed to express some information. This redundancy can ensure that the information is still successfully transmitted even when hampered by interference such as noise.*5 Benjamin R. Barber: Political scientist and professor at the University of Maryland; born in 1939. Barber's works include Jihad vs. McWorld: How Globalism and Tribalism Are Reshaping the World (Mita Shuppan Kai).*6 Hitoshi Abe, Masashige Motoe, Masashi Sogabe, Manabu Chiba, Yasuaki Onoda, et al. "Office Urbanism". JA vol.50 The Japan Architects Co., Ltd. 2003Yasuaki Onoda / Architectural planning1963Born in Kanazawa City1986Graduated from the Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Tohoku University1986-88Campus Planning Office, Tohoku University1998-99Visiting researcher, University of California2007-Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku UniversityInterview