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healthcare & researchamanoAmano Laboratories - Richard Rogers Partnership Japan In 1997, RRP and co-architects Kisho Kurokawa & Associates were approached to design a low budget building in Gifu, to accommodate the company's enzyme research group. The building was required to incorporate not only specialised laboratories but also offices and a restaurant. The building form is influenced by its hilly site, hence the curved plan. The surrounding landscaping is integral to the building design and the impressive views which it affords are maximised by the positioning within the site and its glazed façades. The roof's steel structure is expressed externally. Rooflights following each structural bay allow natural daylight to penetrate laboratory space. As a consequence of placing the structure outside, the design succeeds in minimising dust in laboratory areas. By partially sinking into the hillside, the resultant thermal mass considerably reduces energy consumption whilst glazed façades are protected from solar gain by external shading. Prior to establishing 'atelier-bill' Architects the Principal Architect enjoyed the good fortune to work in the studio of RRPJ in Tokyo, which afforded the opportunity to explore some of the most progressive Modern Japanese Architecture.
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