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Here is an update on the kind of press coverage Midas is receiving regarding their new office and the principles that make it work:

Midas Office Interior Design Receives Nikkei New Office Award

Here as well, and also here

Jarman International is very honored to be working with an office company in Japan so intent on raising the bar, and really opening up the discussion in terms of what kind of effect the office environment has on employee performance. The answer has been a resounding one, as Midas employees have demonstrated with designs for other firms that the structure of both the design and the principles and logic behind the design are inter-related, and employees both respect and respond to this.

This time around, Midas is being praised for the progressive restructuring of its own office space in Tsukiji, Tokyo, near the world famous fish market. It is only a recent change, but the effects have been concrete and quantifiable, as employee satisfaction and comfort levels are higher than ever, and Midas is fully prepared for more clients as Japan approaches a brighter stage of business development.

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See the article here

To see a detailed overview of the new Midas office to get an idea of what President Okumura was discussing, see our own Midas office walkthrough here:

Midas office walkthrough

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Despite being one of the original office design firms in the Japanese market, Midas is an ever-growing and transforming company. Each project undertaken is a new strand of office DNA, a new factor in the logarithm of considering and reacting to the modern day employee’s needs, and stimulating their creativity via environment. Design as defined by Midas extends beyond appearances and color schemes, as it is a manifestation of unique office principles meant to encourage progressive change in the mediums and modes in which people work. This emphasis on “workstyle” forms the foundation for all projects Midas undertakes.

A representative concept pioneered in part by Midas is that of “Free Address”. This is a Japanese term, but basically means that employees have freedom to work where they please within the office, and moreover can take their work with them on any computer in the office by means of the cloud. This free address system works due to the diversity of workable areas in the Midas office: Large conference tables, 2 separate meeting rooms, a large forum space in the front room with small tables and chairs, sheltered rooms with just a few seats, counter seats near the window, and of course a standard desk area with a large computer. This means that employees can adjust their work station to the day’s needs, transforming the office into a dynamic work center.

Midas was featured in the Tokyo IT newspaper for their progressive response to the issue of coordinating incoming phone calls in the office. While this may not be an issue in traditional office structures which confine employees to a set location, Midas had the challenge of incorporating effective phone response within the free address system, and the solution couldn’t have been better:

Each employee has an iphone specifically for work related things, and can thus be reachable at any time, anywhere, in the office or out. Calls can of course be forwarded very easily from the main reception line with ease, allowing employees to minimize inefficiencies when dealing with phone inquiries whether they be in the office or out for sales or otherwise. Having employees all on the same smartphone network also allows free and unlimited calling. A small concrete example of a measure to streamline and refine work in the office in the modern day.

The new office design of Midas was also featured in the 6/28 issue of the Nikkan Industrial newspaper, which also recognized the efficiency of “free address”. Midas realized that communication between employees is a crucial factor in office success, but in order to actualize that communication, the free address system was embraced in the design.

The results have been largely positive, with information on clients and potential customers flowing free and unobstructed through the office when it is needed. It is a circular relationship that supports employee satisfaction which in turn leads to customer satisfaction, and of course ultimately company success, and back to employee satisfaction.

Midas has a special concern for their employees and makes sure that company success will also translate to employee benefits and happiness.

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Jarman International has released to the world a succinct and informative account of Japan’s oldest office design company, and what to expect from them in the near future.

Midas has long been working toward office reform in terms of design yes, but what does this reform truly provide for a company’s bottom line? This is the question asked, answered and implemented by Midas’s work principles and implementation of an employee centered workspace philosophy.

We have detailed explanations of Midas’s principles here, and for further reference, here is a link to the recent press release.

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Is a chair just a chair, or can a chair be a vehicle to swing you across the hall to a co-workers’s desk? Is a desk simply a desk, or can it be connected to the internet and cable to be a fully operational media hub? The furniture is the organ system of the office, and putting thought into the purpose of each piece will bring about the fundamental ideas you have in mind for your office’s function.

A good example here at Midas:
Midas aims to foster communication between employees, and facilitate a range of “workstyles” to make employees feel less “at work”, and in a freer and more open, relaxed environment.

Is a bookshelf just a bookshelf? Or can you strategically place it to allow certain amounts of sunlight in? Being able to adjust the amount of natural light at any time of the day is a pretty neat feature, and will make employees feel a bit less constricted.

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As of 2013, Midas boasts a newly renovated office that fully embodies both their mission and image as the premier office design firm in Japan. From the layout to the appearance, to the actual functional elements of the office, Midas has truly accomplished an office ideal, and now it is time to share it with Japan and the world.

“Rather than simple renovation, the office is given new life entirely”

This is what Midas has accomplished with their office rebirth, and what they hope to accomplish for all of their clients, and truly change the traditional and stale dynamic of the Japanese workplace.

Before the actual physical renovation began, Midas had laid out their design principles in a comprehensive list:

Community- To bring employees together with less barriers between departments.
Collaboration- Concrete areas to collaborate, even spontaneously.
Interactivity- Cross-department ideas/implementation.
Nomad Work- The ability to utilize smart technology and wifi to bring your work anywhere.
Free Address- Free seating in the office to reduce traditional rigidity.
Innovation in Work Methods- New angles to approach work from, rather than just a cubicle.

The results of the office transformation; the following areas all saw increases:

Information sharing on customer needs
Concern with company achievement
Innovative ideas
Quick decision making
Freedom to choose work method
Transmission of specialized abilities
Solidarity
Support for innovation
Concern with company improvement
Creative service

So how are these “improvements” embodied in the new Midas office? What brought them to life?

A multi-purpose collaboration space, open at all times of the day. The subtle and stylistic elements encourage fundamental thinking from the ground up, as after all, Midas is in the field of creation.

The “forum” area of the office near the entrance gives the option for free and open discussion with clients, or between employees. The white spaces lining the roof are actual projector screens that can be pulled down to dissect the room according to needs, and can also keep temperature contained. The Polar Bear of course gives a slight impression of home.

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