A collaboration between artists, architects, and owners of the enterprise redefined the work process, creating a linear flow on one floor. The artists' studios are now integrated with the manufacturing and shipping departments. The new building is situated in a grove of mature oak trees. Products are getting to market and customers a lot faster. Fukuoka is the ''Venice of Japan,'' with heavy rainfall and canals criss-crossing the city.
People use underground tunnels to go from building to building without getting wet.
The retail store was losing business because people were shopping in stores within the subway station rather than walk outside a few blocks in the rain to its building. The solution was to build an underground passageway consisting of three suspended ''bridges,'' of shimmering steel, cable, and glass, that appear to span water. Indeed, sounds of water play in the background. Customers seem to like the surprise. The bridges guide people directly into Iwataya's basement shops, and their elegance meshes with the store's own modern style.