Nissan Design Center, Atsugi, Kanagawa, Japan

The site and development criteria
Occupying a site bordered by hills all along its western perimeter, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.'s new research complex has to be versatile enough to enable the auto manufacturer to adapt existing installations to operations launched by management in future, and also to keep pace with the company's evolving image. The project is intended to provide new facilities for Nissan's diverse business areas, while at the same time guaranteeing that the current facilities continue to function throughout the construction and implementation phases.

Architecture
The complex is organized around two axes of communication. The first axis is oriented towards the sun (from north to south) and completely reserved for automobile traffic. The second consists of a main pedestrian walkway running from west to east, with different access points from the various buildings. The serpentine configuration of the walkway, strategically inflected at each point of entry to minimize walking distance, efficiently redirects pedestrian flow from the adjoining buildings.

In order to reestablish equilibrium between the respective weights of "engineering" and "design", the two main areas of activity involved in conceiving and manufacturing automobiles, the project provides both sectors with completely separate entrances, each of equal status. The design sector had been previously situated in the midst of the complex, thereby suggesting that it was a "poor relative" and reflecting unfairly on its status in the company's overall structure. The balance between the sectors is further emphasized by the esplanade in front, which is accompanied by shared visitor parking. The zones reserved for design, engineering and product planning, respectively, are installed in a previous workshop facility that has been converted into an auditorium where members of all three teams can congregate.

Key project guidelines include:
(1) abundant natural light;
(2) high confidentiality.

Workshops are therefore designed to benefit from the best possible light from the north, which is to say, to minimize cast shadows. Meanwhile, the center of the project, already protected by nature, takes full advantage of other existing buildings for screening and confidentiality purposes. The facility scheduled for implementation during the first phase of development likewise pursues this strategy of using smaller buildings for protection against indiscreet viewing while under construction.

Reference
Client: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
Project Architect: Albert Abut Architecture
Team: Albert Abut, Maud Châtelet, Masayuki Hata, Kenji Nakatsuka
Land area: 13,909 m²
Estimated cost: 6,850,000,000 yen (50,740,000 euros)
Structural Engineering: Arup Japan
MEP Engineering: P.T. Morimura Associates
Project 2002