Monday, May 17, 2021 | The Japan Times | 7

sustainable japan

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Architect Brooks reshapes offices to new world of work
Roundtable
LOUISE GEORGE KITTAKA
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Christopher Brooks is the executive officer
and design director of Garde, an international
branding and interior design company basedin Tokyo. With more than 20 years’ experience in Japan and several design awards
under his belt, Brooks talked about his journey in the world of architecture and shared
his insights on contemporary office design.

Early encounters

Growing up in the Los Angeles, Brooks
developed an eye for the aesthetic from ayoung age and recounts one episode as an
8-year-old in elementary school. “There wasa teaching assistant who taught me how todraw a simple perspective of a box — how
you can draw it in 3D. I fell in love with thisconcept of how you can look at something
and replicate it,” he recalled.
Brooks went on to take part in an art
contest, and had an early taste of successwhen his design was chosen for the coverof a school publication that year. “From thatmoment I knew I wanted to do somethingwith architecture.”
Ten years down the line, one of his first

Christopher Brooks, executive officer and design
director of Garde YUICO TAIYA FOR PHOTOMATE

encounters withpeople must feelJapanese design wasthat they are partwhile studying atof a larger whole. To
architecture school
mitigate feelings ofin New Orleans.
isolation, it is necBrowsing in theessary for people
campus library,
to have frequent
he came upon atouchpoints withmonograph of atheir colleagues.
modern abstraction
Many peopleof a samurai sword
have become usedby well-known
to working fromarchitect Shin Takahome, and somematsu. Inspired
have even moved
by Takamatsu’sout to areas wherework, Brooks began
they can enjoy
researching othercheaper rents andJapanese architects.
a more relaxed lifeWith his archistyle. However, sincetect’s license inJapanese dwellings
hand, Brooks
are generally quitedecided to checksmall, they still may
out things for himwant to physically
Christopher Brooks and Roundtable host Ross Rowbury discuss the major changes COVID-19 has brought to the office environment.
self and headed totake their work outYUICO TAIYA FOR PHOTOMATEJapan — not to theside the home.
bright lights of Tokyo, but to Matsue, a proIn line with this, coworking spaces havethis comes from people wanting an experiShimane. After a mutual friend set up an
vincial city in Shimane Prefecture. Matsue
become something of a buzzword, such asence, not just functionality. They want someinterview, Takamatsu offered to sponsor
and New Orleans are sister cities, primarily
emotional connection.”those operated by WeWork. Brooks says
Brooks’ work visa and invited the young
through their connection with writer Lafcathat a high volume and scale is needed toAnother major trend is “activity-based
American to join his firm in Kyoto.
dio Hearn, who wrote about both places inmake this business model work and notedworking” (ABW). While offices traditionally
Brooks feels very fortunate to have had
the 19th century.
that some companies are exploring the idea
had specific sections for certain roles, andthis opportunity to work alongside TakaBrooks was “blown away” by the tradiof setting up satellite office spaces to whichpeople mainly worked in cubicles, Brooks
matsu. “He was so prolific! He could litertional aspects of life he found in Matsue,
says that now lines of division are being
their staff can easily commute to.
ally sit down and sketch out 50 ideas in 50
which was totally counter to his perception
Offering a sanitary and safe work enviblurred. “We realized it made sense to ‘unteminutes,” he recalled with awe. “What I tookof a futuristic, technology-driven Japan. One
ronment is also of paramount importancether’ people from their desk. ABW is simply
away is that you have to explore your ideasof his most memorable experiences was viswhen considering office design. “COVID-19
designing your office based on the activities
to the fullest extent.”
iting Izumo Grand Shrine. “There was a cerhas caused us to think more deeply about
you have to do, so you can be 100% mobile
After working on Takamatsu’s projects fortain heaviness and emotional feeling when
this, for sure,” Brooks said. “There is more of aand work more efficiently.”clients in the USA and Europe, Brooks evenyou see it and experience it. This is someconcern for fresh air exchange and air filtratually made his way to Tokyo, where he isthing that I think a lot of architects seek — antion in the mechanical systems, bacteria-free
now designing for both domestic and interA harbinger of changeemotional connection they are trying to refinishes and safe distancing.
national clients at Garde. Established in 1985
It goes without saying that COVID-19 has hadcreate,” he said.
to help luxury brands set up their businesses
a major impact on office design and function.
in Japan during the bubble years, Garde has
According to Brooks, the office will come toOffice Design 101
be a place for collaboration and interaction,
Learning from a design master since branched out into other areas, such as
Moving forward, Brooks offers three imporhospitality and office design.
while focus work is more likely to be done attant pointers for companies in terms of planWhile working part time in Tottori at anIn terms of what clients are looking forhome or outside the office. Despite this, hening their new office space:architectural firm, a stroke of serendipitywith work spaces, Brooks says that expectanotes that the importance of “physical presWorking from home is here to stay, andlead to an introduction to none other thantions are definitely higher recently. “A lot ofence” should not be underestimated and thatso you need to figure out a way to tie yourShin Takamatsu, who happens to be from

Cuisine régionale L’évo

Regional dining redefined at newly opened gastronomic
auberge in the Toyama mountains

A patterned rustic rope communication kiosk
sits at the center of a social space inspired by
the blooming of Iris flowers during the rainyseason. NACASA & PARTNERS

remote staff members into activities at theoffice.
It is important to have a flexible officespace. We still don’t know how things willplay out with COVID-19 in the future. You
need to be able to accommodate different
scenarios.
You also have to look at how you manage
people. Until now, Japan was about having
your staff show up and sit in front of you, but
now you need to manage them based on
work performance.
Brooks says his profession is all about
learning from experience: “Most people
don’t understand that design is very much a
trial-and-error type profession. I think that iswhat drives us: having a problem and trying
to solve it.”
He has come a long way from that brighteyed 8-year-old who drew the box, but
one thing hasn’t changed: “In 10 years’ time,
I’ll still be in Japan!” he said with a laugh. “I
still have the same
curiosity as that of
the fist day when Iarrived.”
Roundtable is a monthly series of Englishlanguage events organizedby The Japan Times Cube.
For more information visit
https://sustainable.japantimes.com/roundtable

Frameworks for addressing
deforestation are increasing
ESG / SDGsMAIKO MURAOKACONTRIBUTING WRITER

Address
Cuisine régionale L’évo
100 Tanoshima, Togamura-Daikanba, Nanto,
Toyama Pref. 939-2518 Japan
https://levo.toyama.jp

ROBBIE SWINNERTONCONTRIBUTING WRITER

If you are among those who believe that
anticipation is half the enjoyment, then you
will love the journey to L’évo. Chef Eiji Taniguchi’s remarkable new restaurant lies highin the mountains, a two-hour-plus drivefrom the city of Toyama through forests, pastlakes and up narrow winding roads.
For guests, it is the ideal setting for a quietgastronomic getaway. But for Taniguchi
it’s the culmination of a long-held dream.
Although his first restaurant in the foothillsof the mountains won him plaudits, awards
and a Michelin star, he was already planning
his next step — a new location along with anauberge where guests can immerse themselves in nature.
Opened in December 2020, his new iteration of L’évo, includes three “cottages” of varying size and degree of luxury, plus a separatesauna, all built in a unified architectural style.
Although only three groups (of a maximum
four people) can stay at the auberge eachnight, the dining room has seating for up to26. It also boasts the finest views on the property, looking up a narrow canyon toward themassive rock wall of the Hida Mountains.
Taniguchi draws from the full gamut of
local seasonal ingredients. The mountain
forests offer game meats, wild plants andmushrooms; the waters of Toyama Bay areamong the most fertile fishing grounds in allJapan; the rivers offer freshwater fish; and thelowland plains provide produce and noodles,

sake and condiments. From the opening“prologue” of finger foods and light bites tothe final dessert, all are beautifully represented on an intricate 13-course menu studded with standout dishes.
Among the standouts from his springmenu are sashimi gando (young yellowtail)served with generous scoops of sturgeon
caviar that Taniguchi prepares himself; slivers of meat from a tsukinowa brown bear,lean at the end of its hibernation, encased ina nikogori gelee prepared from a consommeof the same meat; firefly squid quickly seared
over a wood fire and served in their own
juices; and fresh sōmen noodles in a thickbroth made with local goat’s cheese and seasoned with fukinoto (wild butterbur) oil.
One of the most brilliant offerings is theL’évo chicken. The fowl are raised according
to Taniguchi’s specifications at a farm deepin the hills, on a special feed of rice mixed

with sake lees from the nearby Masuizumi
brewery. Taniguchi takes the breast and leg
meat, mixes it with glutinous rice, moistens
it with bear fat, then wraps it back onto theleg inside its skin. Grilled over his wood fire, it
develops a wonderfully deep flavor to matchthe smoky aroma — the high point of a meal
with numerous peaks.
Taniguchi calls his approach at L’évo“avant-garde regional cuisine.” And certainlyin this part of Japan, there is no one cooking
with similar breadth of skill and imagination— and least of all in such a pristine location.
But his influence and impact extend beyond
the culinary field. He is championing local
artisans, setting higher standards of agricultural practice and commissioning local artists
and architects while drawing visitors into themountains. In short, he is breathing new life
into an area that has been losing its direction
and population in recent decades.

HACHIRO NITTA
GOVERNOR OF TOYAMA PREF.

MIKIO TANAKAMAYOR OF NANTO

Mr. Taniguchi offers avantgarde regional cuisine witha particular focus on local
ingredients and table settings, surrounded by therich natural bounty of Toga.
It is a great honor for his restaurant tobe selected as the best in Japan, and wehope it will continue to grow as a worldclass inn.

We would like to express
our greatest pleasure atbeing selected as part of Destination Restaurant of theYear 2021. We hope that thechef’s world-class cuisine will form the basis
for Nanto to become a global brand as a foodsanctuary, and that through his food, people
from all around the world will be able tointeract with Nanto.

CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) Japan conducted an online session onApril 6 to present its latest reports about climate change and deforestation and discussthese closely related issues with stakeholders
from Japan and abroad.
“All sectors are starting to address climatechange, but not the issue of deforestation.
Whether they use timber or not, many sectors are actually related to forest resources in
one way or another,” said Michiyo Morisawa,
director of CDP Japan and the Japan head of
the Principles for Responsible Investment
network, in the opening remark, encouraging companies to ensure that resources theyuse do not contribute to deforestation.
Tohru Nakashizuka, president of the Forest Research and Management Organization,a national institute, stated in his keynote
speech that corporate and financial activities
established on nature-based principles will
be further incorporated into national socioenvironmental goals and strategies.
He described nature-based solutions advocated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as solving social issues andincreasing biodiversity at the same time bypreserving, restoring and managing the natural environment sustainably. “Infrastructuresthat utilize ecosystems have multifacetedfunctions,” he said.
Nicolette Bartlett, executive director ofCDP, explained that nature-based solutions can bring companies reputational
gains, reduce costs and risks, and stimulateinnovation. However, “to stop and reverse
deforestation” and “to halve the emissions by2030,” Bartlett said, “there is still a significant
amount of work to be done.”

Science-based targets increase

But the good news is that awareness in theprivate sector is increasing. According to thelatest CDP report on climate change, 65% ofthe 500 Japanese companies that received
the CDP’s climate change questionnaire in2020 submitted answers. “The ratio is higher
than the EU’s 49% and North America’s 54%,”
said an official at SOCOTEC Certification
Japan, which was one of the report’s writers.
Increasing numbers of companies have

PAGE: 7

A graphic used in oneof the presentations
at the online session
explains the trajectory leading tonet-zero carbon
emissions. CDP

set science-based targets complying with theParis Agreement’s standards on emissions
reductions, use renewable energy or havereceived external verification of their data onemissions, according to SOCOTEC and SGS
Japan Inc., the other writer of the report.
The compiler of the CDP 2020 Forest
Report, Quick Corp., revealed that about 70%of the respondents to a CDP questionnaireon the disclosure of information about four
forest commodities — palm oil, cattle products, soybeans and timber — are collaborating with primary suppliers to enhance thesupply capacity of sustainable raw materials.
Fuji Oil Holdings Inc., which develops andmakes food products such as vegetable oils,
industrial chocolate and soy-based ingredients, is one such company. The chief ESG
officer of Fuji Oil, Takashi Kadota, explainedthat the company is working with NGOs,
local governments, farms and communities
in producing countries to educate suppliers
to avoid problems that result mainly from alack of knowledge or poverty and to makethe whole supply chain sustainable.

Getting help on strategies

For companies wishing to do something
about climate change and the environment,
various international organizations provide
guidelines, standards and frameworks. TheWorld Resources Institute is one of them.
Research analyst Jessica Zionts andresearch associate Matt Ramlow explained
about WRI’s contribution to the Greenhouse
Gas Protocol Land Sector and Removals Ini-tiative. The initiative crafted guidance to help
companies in the land sector “set targets,track performance and select mitigation
strategies in line with the goals of the Paris
Agreement,” said Ramlow. Zionts encouraged companies that are interested in doing
pilot tests of the guidance to contact them.
Science Based Targets Network, a coalition of more than 45 NGO partners, offers aconsolidated approach for companies to set
targets based on climate science. ExecutiveDirector Erin Billman stated that emissions
by companies that had worked with thenetwork on setting targets decreased by 25%
between 2015 and 2019.
The Climate Disclosure Standards Board
offers “a framework for reporting environmental and climate information in themainstream report,” said Managing Director
Mardi McBrien. She emphasized that international standardization and a comprehensive system for reporting climate-related
information will allow Japanese companiesto streamline ESG reporting, ensure that
their voices will be heard in the process ofcreating and updating a global standard, andattract a global audience more easily.
“There truly is no time to waste — wemust act now,” she said in concluding thesession.
This section highlights the environment and a sustainable society. For more information on
ESG and SDG issues, see www.
sustainable.japantimes.com/esg