Rather than build a new headquarters from the ground up, Japanese recruiting company Pasona renovated a 50-year-old office building with a double-skin, green facade and rooftop garden and, most notably, urban farming facilities throughout the building.

A rice field in the lobby of the building's main entrance. Located in downtown Tokyo, Pasona's nine-story headquarters has more than 43,000 square feet of green space with 200 species, including fruits, vegetables and rices that are harvested and prepared in the building's cafeterias.

A woman tends to miniature rice paddies, Feb. 10, 2005. Artificial lighting is supplied in a number of rooms where herbs, vegetables and rice are being grown.

The rice crops seen up close. New York-based Kono Designs conceived the urban farm, which is the largest and most direct farm-to-table operation of its kind in an office building in Japan.

Crops and office workers share a common space, as seen in this staff meeting in a casual open area.

The building utilizes both soil-based farming, as shown in this planter bed on the mail level, and hydroponic farming.

Vegetables grow in one of the soil planters.

Hydroponic tomato farming space surrounded by offices.

Flowers sprout from a soil planter.

Salad leaves grow on hydroponic shelves.

Pumpkin vines in a hydroponic planter grow over one of the reception areas.

Hydroponically grown pumpkins.

Lemon and passion fruit trees form partitions dividing meeting rooms.

Employees harvest rice.