Kikkoman R&D Center / Nikken Sekkei

Connecting the environment with the city’s history - This project is a rebuild of the Kikkoman research laboratory in Noda City, Chiba Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo. Soy sauce production began there more than 200 years ago when over a dozen families started a brewing cooperative, which eventually evolved into today’s Kikkoman. The area around the site is dotted with traditional streets that reflect this history. Kikkoman's former research laboratory, by contrast, was a concrete building over 60 years old. We felt that for research on soy sauce and food products, a site sensitive to the changes of seasons, time, the five senses, and continuity with nature would be appropriate. In fact, our client requested a facility in which researchers could enjoy work while experiencing the nuanced shifts in the natural surroundings.