Kokuyo Begins Strategic Collaboration with American Design Firm Studio O+A

Kokuyo Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Osaka, President: Hidekuni Kuroda) has initiated a strategic collaboration with Studio O+A (Headquarters: San Francisco, Co-founder & Principal: Primo Orpilla), an American design firm.

Photo (from left): Akira Yada, Executive Officer, Head of Global Workplace Business Division, Kokuyo Co., Ltd.; Primo Orpilla, Co-founder & Principal, Studio O+A

Background and Objectives of the Collaboration Through this collaboration, the two companies aim to combine their know-how to propose new ways of working and enhance value. They will develop new workplace strategies that embody corporate culture and stories into spaces, offering new options for future office environments.

Recently, as work styles and places diversify, efficiency in office and facility management has progressed, but many companies face challenges of weakened employee belonging and organizational culture. Kokuyo, through its extensive product and workplace case studies, data, and proprietary research, has focused on the idea that corporate identity and culture emerge in aspects that cannot be measured numerically. Studio O+A is a global pioneer in unraveling intangible corporate aspirations and values, translating them into spaces and designs, and expressing and implementing them as original corporate narratives.

By combining the strengths of both companies, they can propose the construction of offices as 'media' that convey corporate vision and history, as well as experience design obtained through spaces. They will co-create workplace strategies that propose entirely new office concepts.

Future Prospects This collaboration with Studio O+A also aims to update the roles and functions required of future workplaces, as well as the relationships and communication between workers and companies, and to communicate the value of workplaces to society as a whole.

Both companies plan to conduct joint research and develop new services that embed corporate culture and stories into spaces, building on efforts at 'KOKUYO HQ'. Details will be announced sequentially.

Collaboration at Kokuyo's New Headquarters 'KOKUYO HQ' At Kokuyo's new headquarters 'KOKUYO HQ', which relocated in May 2026, Studio O+A was invited as a design partner.

The design concept 'Promenade of Discovery' was born from the combination of Kokuyo's expertise in 'work style proposals' for Japanese offices and Studio O+A's strength in 'storytelling' and design, gained through global corporate office design and consulting. The 'Kokuyo-ness' rediscovered through Studio O+A's perspective is expressed in spatial stories, art, and exhibits.

Press release: https://www.kokuyo.com/news/release/260521cs1/

・About Studio O+A Studio O+A is an award-winning interior design firm based in San Francisco, USA, active at the forefront of workplace design for over 34 years. Studio O+A has provided creative office solutions to leading global companies such as Google, Meta, Netflix, McDonald's, adidas, Ernst & Young, Slack, Allstate, and Hyundai Motor Group, establishing itself as a leader in design innovation. It also works with major developers worldwide to build top-class workplaces, retail spaces, and public spaces in global markets. The firm has received numerous accolades, including the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award (Interior Design category) and Fast Company's 'Innovation by Design Award' (Workplace category). From large-scale interior design to experimental pop-ups and social contribution projects, the company continuously explores the correlation between space and human behavior, leading the industry as a global leader.

*This information is current as of the date of announcement and is subject to change without notice. *Company names, service names, and product names mentioned are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective owners.

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