Developing an Incubation Facility with a Dual Approach of "Business Design × Spatial Design": The Story of Creating "CRIK Shinano-cho" at Keio University (Part 1)

On May 29, 2024, Keio University opened its dedicated incubation facility, the "Keio University Shinanomachi Research & Incubation Center ( CRIK Shinanomachi )," on its Shinanomachi Campus (Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo).
Located on the 9th floor of Keio University School of Medicine/University Hospital Building No. 2, the facility was established as a space where like-minded medical and healthcare professionals, along with startups and major corporations from diverse fields, can gather to conduct joint research and development and grow, under the purpose of "making people-centered medicine and healthcare the common sense of the future."

Dentsu Inc. provided end-to-end support for this facility, from its conceptual planning through launch. The project was advanced using the newly launched "KU-KAN TSU-KAN" service, which employs a dual-track approach of spatial design and business design to realize Keio University's vision.

This article features an interview about the project, facilitated by Yoshiro Takai, Executive Producer at Dentsu Inc. Startup Growth Partners. In Part 1, we spoke about spatial design with: - Masaya Nakamura, Vice Dean (Innovation) of Keio University School of Medicine and Professor of Orthopedic Surgery - Nobuaki Shindo, Head of the Innovation Promotion Headquarters and Head of the Startup Division at Keio University - Kei Suzuki, Creative Director at Dentsu Inc. - Ryusuke Nanki, Dentsu Inc. (responsible for spatial design)

Aiming for the "Heart" of Healthcare in the "Heart" of Tokyo

Takai: This is a new initiative to create an incubation facility within a hospital. What kind of place and space are you aiming to create?

Shindo: First, the background for establishing this facility: The Startup Division of the Innovation Promotion Headquarters has been advancing various initiatives to enhance the entrepreneurial environment within the university, and creating an incubation space was one of them.

Nakamura: Within the School of Medicine, many startups are being launched with the goal of delivering medical achievements to patients through entrepreneurial ventures. Therefore, there was a desire to create an incubation facility for startups within the Shinanomachi Campus. This led to the collaborative effort between the School of Medicine and the Innovation Promotion Headquarters Startup Division to establish this facility.

Shindo: The facility has several full-time staff members: Incubation Managers who operate the facility and promote communication with tenants, and Science Liaisons who facilitate discussions and consultations with university faculty and researchers. They also handle various inquiries from tenants and visitors. We aim for this facility to be an attractive place where visitors can sense an exciting future, find the motivation to take the first step in a new venture, and gain new connections.

Given the short project timeline, we decided to enlist the support of Dentsu Inc., which has provided various PR support services for Keio University's Innovation Promotion Headquarters and possesses deep understanding of the university's initiatives.

Takai: It might not be widely known, but Dentsu Inc. focuses not only on advertising but also on spatial design. Now that Dentsu Inc. is involved in the incubation facility development project at Keio University's Shinanomachi Campus, could you tell us what kind of space you envisioned?

Nanki: Dentsu Inc. is registered as a Class 1 Architectural Firm and has been involved in constructing temporary structures like Expo pavilions. Advertising moves people's emotions, and spatial design does the same. Logic alone won't move hearts. Dentsu Inc.'s strength, honed through years of creativity in advertising, lies in imagining how visitors will feel and translating clients' unspoken expectations and excitement into design plans.

When we were shown the site for this project, we first found the floor layout—unique to a hospital with patient rooms and nursing stations—intriguing. That sparked our excitement, leading us to propose design plans with ideas like, "We could try something like this."

Takai: After hearing about this concept, could you share the initial idea you had, Mr. Suzuki?

Suzuki: As you'll see when you visit, this facility offers a panoramic view of Tokyo's key landmarks—it truly is the "center" of Tokyo. While university hospitals might be perceived as closed-off spaces since they aren't easily accessible to everyone, an incubation facility is open. Emphasizing the hospital aspect might make some people feel it's closed off, but emphasizing incubation alone could diminish the aura of this space. I felt we needed to aim for an image that strikes a balance, preserving the characteristics of both. Furthermore, this facility aims to utilize medical data (*) and advance healthcare centered around people. That's why I first conceived the "center" concept.

Takai: Precisely because there are so many stakeholders, defining the facility's value with the term "center" from the outset held significant meaning. The Keio University representatives were also very pleased.

Shindo: That's right. Discussing the concept together from the outset fostered a sense of unity. Once the concept was decided, it helped establish a shared understanding among the participating members, making subsequent communication much smoother.

Suzuki: Putting the concept into words creates shared understanding among stakeholders. In advertising, this initial alignment is crucial, and we move quickly to achieve it. Even in projects like this one, with diverse stakeholders, achieving that initial alignment felt uniquely possible with Dentsu Inc.

Achieving our mission in healthcare while expressing hospitality

Takai: Based on the concept, how did you approach the spatial design?

Nanki: While prioritizing the concept, we focused on "how to express hospitality." The word "hospital" is said to derive from "hospitality." However, medical settings are life-and-death environments, and I wondered if innovation might struggle to flourish in such serious spaces.

Therefore, while fulfilling the medical mission, we flexibly adjusted the floor layout and materials used, based on the concept and discussions, to explore how to express hospitality. It was significant that we could approach the spatial design with an open stance and a reversible process, avoiding rigid thinking like "spatial design must be this way" or "business design must be that way."

Takai: As you mentioned, Dentsu Inc.'s strength lies in approaching projects through both spatial design and business design. Where do you think this team's strength lies?

Nanki: It's our ability to build an open relationship where, while each member has their own area of expertise, roles aren't rigidly fixed in a positive sense. We ran business design and spatial design in parallel using an agile approach. Even when discussing spatial design, the business design side contributed opinions, creating a positive influence between the two. I believe this atmosphere of Dentsu Inc. spread to the Keio University members, sparking interesting discussions.

Nakamura: Exactly. This time, the unique atmosphere of Dentsu Inc.'s project approach spread to the Keio members, enabling lively discussions that transcended their usual areas of responsibility.

Suzuki: When making decisions, it's crucial not to rush with "Let's decide right now," but rather to leave room for further discussion, thinking "We could still explore this angle." Regarding spatial design, we could have unilaterally proposed a standard layout. However, that approach would have distanced us from envisioning unconventional, grand ideals like "a research university creating future common sense" or "human-centered healthcare." I believe Dentsu Inc.'s strength lies in maintaining a buffer that allows us to return to these core principles whenever decisions are made.

Developing facilities through reversible processes on both software and hardware fronts

Takai: Could you tell us about the key features of the spatial design for CRIK Shinanomachi?

Nakamura: We wanted to create an incubation facility that maximized the characteristics of being a hospital. We consulted Dentsu Inc., asking them to design a space that reflected this vision, not just in functionality but also in design.

Nanki: In response to Mr. Nakamura's request, we decided to utilize the hospital's room layout rather than an efficient office floor plan. However, simply lining up small rooms wouldn't foster interaction among tenants. Therefore, we designed it so that walking around the floor naturally leads you to an open space, fostering interaction. During this design process, we also made reversible adjustments—changing room layouts or the nature of open spaces—to align with the business model conceived by Mr. Shimura and Mr. Okuda from Business Design.

We also wanted to express the hospitality inherent in hospitals and empower the people working in this facility. That's why we consciously incorporated wood-based materials, comfortable color palettes, and soft lighting. Since Mr. Nakamura also prioritized texture, I went above and beyond what I could realistically do to meet that vision, paying meticulous attention to every detail.

Takai: Please tell us what you gained from this project and your future outlook.

Suzuki: At our weekly Friday meetings, members with diverse professional backgrounds freely exchanged opinions. Initially, I wondered if we needed to discuss topics unrelated to our direct responsibilities. However, understanding and incorporating various perspectives allowed us to creatively reflect those ideas. I realized the importance of sustained involvement and nurturing team relationships.

When deciding the facility's name, I thought the distinctive "C" shape of the incubation facility floor made a name starting with "C" ideal. While Keio University facilities typically use "K" as the initial letter, the university trusted us as part of the same team throughout the project. That's why we settled on the name "CRIK (Center for Research and Incubation, Keio University) Shinanomachi."

Shindo: I think Keio University often uses "K" as the initial letter, so the "C"-starting proposal felt memorable. However, through deep discussion, we understood the meaning embedded in "C" and how it reflected our thoughts and concept. After internal deliberation, we decided to accept Dentsu Inc.'s proposal.

Nanki: In this project, concept development, branding, business development, and spatial design occurred simultaneously and interactively, advancing through a reversible process. This approach contributed to the creation of an excellent facility. We would like to apply this process horizontally to future developments, such as office buildings, commercial facilities, and urban design.

To spark innovation, it's sometimes necessary to pursue excitement rather than being bound by efficiency. According to Mr. Suzuki, curiosity triumphs over efficiency—a defining characteristic of Dentsu Inc.'s spatial design team. Each time they proposed a design plan leveraging the hospital's unique characteristics, Keio University representatives, including Mr. Nakamura, actively contributed their opinions and participated in discussions. This resulted in the creation of an incubation facility that addresses the university's core challenges.
In Part 2, we will delve deeper into the approach from business design.

*Use of medical data is subject to review for each research project and requires patient consent.