Re-Tem Tokyo Factory | Lighting Architecture/Lighting, 2005
This recycling factory, on a monotonous reclaimed land, was designed open to let people see inside and feel familiar to recycling system, different from general recycling factories hiding everything inside. The lighting designers, recognizing the growing importance of recycling, decided to create an attractive factory where people may wish to visit and learn about recycling. This design concept was achieved by producing the factory as a “space station”, using vivid colored lightings effectively on the buildings, the machineries, and the wastes. Every evenings, the machineries turn into pop and artistic objects. Now, many visitors and workers enjoy the lighted-up factory. (Reiko Chikada)
Site： Tokyo
Program： Factory
Total Area： 2634 ㎡
Completed： May. 2005
Principal Architect： Taku Sakaushi
Architect： Takeshi Nakashima
Structural Engineer： Yoshiharu Kanebako
Lighting： Reiko Chikada
Reiko Chikada
Professional Member of Illuminating Engineering Institute of Japan (IEIJ)
Member of Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA)
Professional Member of International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD)
Member of International Dark-Sky Association (IDSA)
Member of Japan Urban Design Institute (JUDI)
A Lecturer at Tokyo University of the Arts
1946 Born in Saitama, Japan
1970 Received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Tokyo University of the Arts
1986 Established Reiko Chikada Lighting Design Inc.
Reiko Chikada has a wide range of lighting design experience.
Architectural lighting design: Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre Renovation, Rikkyo Gakuin St. Paull’s Chapel Renovation, Kyushu National Museum, Daiichi Hotel Annex Sanyoan, MUZA Kawasaki and St. Luke's International Hospital.
Urban lighting design: Kanazawa Castle Park, Chinzan-so, Waseda University Okuma Auditorium, Renovation, Shinagawa Inter-City / Shinagawa Central Garden, The New Central Zone in Saitama City, Okinawa Kyushu Summit 2000 Social Dinner at Syuri castle in 2000.
Awards:
2007 IALD Lighting Design Awards for "Diana Garden Hiroo" and "Re-tem Corporation Tokyo Factory"
2006 IIDA, The Edwin F. Guth Memorial Award of Excellence for "Kyushu National Museum"
2005 IIDA, The Paul Waterbury Award of Excellence for "The Heart Island Shinden"
2005 Good Design Award Gold Prize for "Shinonome Canal Court CODAN"
2005 Yoshinobu Ashihara Award for "Re-tem Corporation Tokyo Factory"
2004 Good Lighting Design Award from Illuminating Engineering Society of Japan for "Izumi City Plaza"
This recycling factory is built on a deserted reclaimed land near an airport, among many huge plants. Roaring aircrafts fly above the factory a few times every hour.
This factory is designed open to the outside world. The architect intentionally placed the machineries and the wastes in the open area, so that people can see the recycling process through the entrance. The dust collector looks just like a rocket launcher, and the large power shovels remind people of robots. These massive machineries and equipments placed outside the building suddenly turn into energetic and artistic objects when flooded with lights. All the lighting fixtures are set downward to avoid disturbing the aircrafts. The facade lighting is designed based on an image of a stage setting, greeting the guests. The colored lights are vivid and clear as watercolors on a palette.
In the entrance canopy, we produced moonlight shining in through the skylight onto the floor, by using two floodlights with DMX color changers. 20 colored lights, programmed to change in 75 seconds, make the entrance even more fascinating. Moreover, a number of 32w compact fluorescent down lights are set inside the lobby, without disturbing the moonlight.
In the lobby, we created a simple and clean atmosphere with wall- washing lights.
Fluorescent line lights are installed in the office space on the second floor to produce cheerful brightness in the daytime.
After dark, colored lighting tools recessed in the rectangular shaped windows are turned on. 20W fluorescent lamps with color laminate tubes are used. The colorful windows appear on the facade in rhythmic pattern. And the employees can also enjoy the colored windows from inside the building, shining like stained glasses.
We also designed an effective and cost-saving lighting for the visitor’ s passage inside the building. 20W fluorescent lamps with color laminate tubes are mounted on each pillar. Those colored lights can be seen from outside, and at the same time, the reflection of the lights on the window glasses function as bracket lights for the passage. After sunset, a “space station” appears in darkness. The large dust collector is lighted with pink and blue lights as stage setting. This open space is used as a stage for artistic events. Now, many people come to see the lighted-up recycling factory and the employees are very proud of it. (Reiko Chikada)
