teamlab's digital office for DMM in tokyo features a 1 kilometer-long desk + interactive animals

japanese art collective teamlab has created a digital office for DMM.com — a popular video and game streaming platform based in tokyo. spread across five floors, the workspace is laden with virtual art experiences and encounters, and includes a one-kilometer-long desk for staff to collaborate. a greenery-filled walkway featuring an immersive and interactive wall of digital animals serves as the main path to the office’s many meeting rooms, while upper levels encourage inner-office communication between DMM’s 3,000 employees. 

all photos by tomooki kengaku / nacasa & partners

at the entrance to DMM’s office, a digital waterfall draws employees in to a jungle-like expanse. in constant change, the flow of water that rushes around the doorway acts as a transparent screen between the entrance and other spaces. when a person approaches the virtual waterfall, an opening materializes and reveals what lies on the other side. as a result, the nature of the entrance rapidly changes based on visitor’s movements, programed by teamlab to ensure that no two moments are ever the same.

once through the waterfall, staff and visitors find themselves in a long hallway filled with lush green landscaping. on the interior walls, a digital tableau of animals moves around the walls, serving as a guide to direct guests towards the various meeting rooms. organized from A-to-Z, animals  from anteaters to zebras indicate 26 different conference rooms available for meetings. at first glance, the walls appear to be flat, but when an animal guides a visitor to a room, the name and position of the door is displayed. technology provides information only when necessary, helping to simplify, and enhance, ordinary human tasks.

on the 27th floor, teamlab has created 1 kilometer of desk space that ‘crawls’ throughout the large volume. meandering around the room and creating areas for the staff to collaborate and communicate, the tabletops feature vibrant patterns that draw on digital experiences. ‘the point is to let lines of communication thrive,’ the teamlab design team describes. ‘being closer to the people around us makes it easier to communicate — desks that are connected in a soft fashion change your visual direction, so even if someone is sitting near you, they don’t seem to be excessively near.’

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