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Japan
Pasona Group
By Susan Berger
New York / San Francisco / Hong Kong / London / Tokyo /
Rome / Toronto
Recognizing the massive decline in farming in Japan over the past few
decades due to a lack of arable land along with an ageing population,
recruitment firm Pasona developed its nine-story downtown Tokyo office
building as an urban farm where employees grew and harvested their own
food at work, assisted by agricultural specialists. The 200 types of plants,
fruits and vegetables, grown using both hydroponic and soil-based farming,
were served in the on-site cafeterias.
The employee lobby entrance, lined with citrus plants such as limes and
kumquats, contained a broccoli field and a rice paddy which was harvested
several times a year, and hosted lunch hour concerts. In the conference
rooms, trellises held tomatoes, and apples and blueberries grew in the grasscovered
rooftop garden. On a floor of open meeting spaces, herb seeds were
grown inside benches, with bean sprouts cultivated below them. Lemon
and passion fruit trees divided meeting spaces, and lettuce was grown inside
seminar rooms. The exterior of the building is covered with 100 varieties of
roses and balconies filled with flowers and orange trees.
In order to allow for maximum ceiling heights, ducts and pipes were rerouted
to the perimeter of the building, and a climate-control system was
used to monitor humidity, temperature and air flow in the building.
Studies show that the majority of people in urbanized societies spend over
80% of their time indoors. Plants improve the air quality we breathe,
which has been shown to increase productivity at work as well as improve
employees’ health and reduce absenteeism and staff turnover. Educational
workshops for Pasona employees and outside community members were
provided to teach farming practices, and the company hopes to cultivate the
next generation of farmers through these seminars and internship programs.
JoLeeMagazine.com 39
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