NAGOYA INNOVATOR’S GARAGE
Name of Company or Individual: DRAFT Inc.
Country: Japan
Website: http://draft.co.jp
Project Name: NAGOYA INNOVATOR'S GARAGE
Project Completion Date: 7/8/2019
Project Completed City: Nagoya
Born from a collaboration between the Central Japan Economic Federation and Nagoya-city, NAGOYA INNOVATOR'S GARAGE was built to produce new innovators from the Central Japan region. Located in Nagoya's Sakae district, which is one of its prime areas, NAGOYA INNOVATOR'S GARAGE opened its doors as a hub of innovation supporting entrepreneurs and business persons.
The central Japan area around Nagoya City is the home to Toyota, a world’s leading car manufacturers. Due to the long term economic benefits of the giant corporation, local industries have fallen into stability and stagnation and are reluctant to start innovation. The local government declare this problem and founded this Nagoya Innovator’s Garage to support innovators who create new business models that will lead the next generation.
The underlying design concept is that of a garage. As many world-class start-ups grew out of businesses begun in garages, the design incorporated garage-like elements into space and aimed for the birth of new businesses from the facility. Besides the mortar and spandrel used for facing, the interior mix also includes wooden materials exuding a warmth, and soft fabric.
The garage attracts people from various backgrounds regardless of age, gender, and nationalities, and more than 40 companies have registered in the first two months. The events are always fully packed. There is no partition in the facility; furniture and large stairs divide the space smoothly. There is an aim to promote interaction and collaboration between members by holding multiple events at the same time in a semi-open space. Besides, we displaced the art of upcoming local artists to create an inspiring and provoking atmosphere.
The facility is a venue for various programs ranging from business seminars to workshops for hands-on learning by kids & juniors. For this reason, it required environmental preparation with flexibility enabling adaptation to all sorts of situations. The key feature is the large tiered seating in the middle of the floor. It positioned at the center of the expansive space makes it possible for a diversity of programs to proceed in different sections at the same time. The facility can host anything from small projects to large events for up to about 150 people. NAGOYA INNOVATOR'S GARAGE is a new workspace that can be freely adjusted in use for the purpose in question and affords enjoyment by its changeability.