Office (architectural) observations 6/6

My office building, for Japan anyway, is quite old. From the outside it doesn't look like much. 1960's bland low level (12 story's about) building.

Inside too not much to speak of. It's the details, though, that give any character to this building.

This is the lighting from the stairwell. Instead of planting the florescent lighting on the ceiling, which is status quo anywhere these days, they imbeded it vertically into the wall. It's off center too, and it's just such an interesting way to use lighting. Really neat.

The number plaques they use are really neat. I think the font that they use for modern number, while intentionally more easily accessible, lacks any taste (or maybe that's simply because of their ubiquity) Look at the 2 in this picture. I love it's shape; how the diagonal line down rounds out to give the upper arc a more open feeling. Interesting.

These are used to hang info from them for people visiting the building ('the hallway is slippery. be careful', etc.), Notice that this is one piece of metal, and how it coils up from the bottom and curves over and ends in a kind snake abstraction. very art deco. I want to take one of these home.

We are moving to a new building in October, which will be a positive thing in almost every respect. It would be great, though, if they could bring these kinds of things along too. It would keep it from feeling super sterile.