Pasona Urban Farm & the Intersection of Agriculture and Office Space
Objectively this is a terrible photo (sorry), but it's also my favorite. Can you imagine plucking a tomato from the conference room ceiling just before your Zoom meeting starts??! Such joy!!
Nestled in the heart of Tokyo’s financial district, the Pasona Urban Farm is a pioneering fusion of agriculture, sustainability, and architecture. Designed by Kono Designs, this nine-story office building for the Pasona Group stretches across 215,000 square feet and is not just a workspace—it’s home to an extensive urban farm. Over 43,000 square feet of the building are dedicated to greenery, where over 200 species of fruits, vegetables, and rice grow, making it the largest urban farm of its kind in Japan.
What sets this project apart isn’t just its size but the way it redefines the relationship between urban living and farming. Crops are cultivated throughout the building—in meeting rooms, corridors, balconies, and even on the building’s double-skinned green façade. The produce isn’t ornamental; it’s harvested, prepared, and served in the building’s cafeterias, creating a fully realized farm-to-table ecosystem within the office.
The exterior of the Pasona Group office building has a double-skin green facade where flowers and orange trees are planted on small balconies. From the outside, the office block appears to be draped in green foliage.
“The design focus was not on the imposed standards of green, where energy offsets and strict efficiency rates rule,” said Kono. “But rather on an idea of a green building that can change the way people think about their daily lives and even their own personal career choice and life path.”
Innovative Design for Maximum Impact
To accommodate such a large-scale urban farm, Kono Designs had to rethink the traditional office space. Ducts, pipes, and vertical shafts were rerouted to the building’s perimeter, freeing up ceiling height and ensuring optimal growing conditions for the crops. A sophisticated climate control system was installed to monitor temperature, humidity, and air flow, ensuring a safe environment for employees while providing the ideal conditions for the plants.
The building’s green façade features crops growing from 3-foot-deep balconies, creating a living wall of vegetation that not only serves as a visual spectacle but also helps insulate the building and reduce energy consumption. The operable windows allow fresh air to flow through, a rare feature for commercial buildings, further enhancing the office environment.
Beyond Aesthetics: A Commitment to Sustainability and Education
One of the most unique aspects of the Pasona Urban Farm is its educational component. The farm is used for workshops where Pasona employees and community members can learn about sustainable farming practices, making it a hub for urban agriculture education. Employees are actively involved in maintaining and harvesting crops, fostering a deeper connection to the food they consume while also creating a sense of community.
The hydroponic and soil-based systems used to grow the plants showcase a range of agricultural techniques, from rice paddies to vegetable gardens, all carefully managed to optimize growth in the urban environment. The farm’s impact extends beyond the office—by reducing the need for food transport and utilizing sustainable farming techniques, Pasona is lowering its carbon footprint and serving as a model for future urban developments.
A Model for the Future of Cities
Pasona Urban Farm is more than just an architectural achievement; it’s a blueprint for the future of sustainable urban living. It challenges the conventional boundaries of city life by seamlessly integrating agriculture into an office setting, showing how even the most densely populated urban areas can embrace green living. The farm’s success lies in its holistic approach, where design, sustainability, and human well-being come together to create a truly innovative workspace.
With its focus on education, sustainability, and community engagement, Pasona Urban Farm stands as a testament to how cities can evolve to meet the needs of a growing urban population while staying connected to the natural world.
(All photos sourced online.)