Suppose Design Office recreates Japanese traditional elements engawa inside Slack's Tokyo Office.

Slack's Tokyo office is located just opposite the city's Imperial Palace gardens and has been designed by locally based Suppose Design Office to "define a new traditional atmosphere", mixing typical Japanese aesthetics with contemporary work culture.

When Suppose Design was asked by Slack to design their new office in Tokyo, the first challenge for them was to translate their culture and approach into a space that could be in dialogue with the local context. 

The perimeter of the office, which overlooks the verdant gardens, has been completed with a black-painted drop ceiling and flooring. Chairs upholstered in dark grey fabric, stone benches and leafy potted plants have been placed at regular intervals.

It's intended to look like an engawa – a wooden or bamboo ledge that runs around the outside edge of traditional Japanese buildings. Shaded by the eaves of the building's roof, the area serves as an indoor-outdoor space where people can sit unaffected by the heat or rain. It blurs the boundaries between inside and outside, becoming a place of casual communication and connection with the landscape.