The redevelopment of Tokyo’s Toranomon-Azabudai district has officially begun.
Heatherwick Studio has designed the public realm and lower-level podium architecture, landscaping, and retail for the project site, which will span more than eight hectares and include a 6,000-sm central landscaped square. The project will include a mix of office, residential, retail, a school, and a temple.
See Also: New office complex in Southern California strives to create a Silicon Valley-like campus vibe
In an effort to bring harmony and create a distinctive identity to this area of Tokyo, Heatherwick Studio devised a pergola-like system scaled up to district proportions to organize and unify elements of various sizes. This allows for significant green space at both the ground level and climbing up the podium buildings without sacrificing connectivity to the ground.
Courtesy Heatherwick Studio | Darcstudio.
The undulating structure echoes the form of the project’s valley setting, rising like a sloping hillside before puncturing the ground to allow natural light to pour deep into the basement retail zones. The pergola will rise approximately 141 feet and include seven floors above ground and six below. It is Heatherwick Studio’s first project in Japan to go into construction.
Courtesy DBOX for Mori Building Co.
“As a way of combining an architectural construction system with significant amounts of nature we developed the idea of a garden pergola scaled up to district size,” said Thomas Heatherwick, Founder, Heatherwick Studio, in a release. “This concept has allowed us to bring an overarching logic to an eight-hectare piece of Tokyo whilst also making space for facilities such as housing, shops, hotels, spas, a school and a temple within the sections framed by the grid.”
Courtesy DBOX for Mori Building Co.
The district will also include three skyscrapers designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, the tallest of which will rise approximately 1,082 feet and become the tallest building in Japan. One of the other two towers will rise approximately 862 feet and become Tokyo’s second tallest tower.
Around 25 to 30 million people are expected to visit the area every year. The project broke ground on Aug. 5, 2019 and is slated for completion in 2023. Mori is developing the district.
Courtesy Heatherwick Studio | Darcstudio.
Courtesy Heatherwick Studio | Darcstudio.
Related Stories
Mixed-Use | Nov 16, 2015
Italian architect designs vertical forest with prefab units by BuroHappold
Cantilevered planters will host cedar trees and other plants hundreds of feet above ground.
Multifamily Housing | Oct 7, 2015
BIG designs lush, terraced mixed-use building in Sweden
Cascading glass and wooden cubes create a form similar to Northern Ireland’s Giant’s Causeway rock formation.
Multifamily Housing | Oct 1, 2015
Wiel Arets unveils twin, 558-foot mixed-use towers in Bahrain’s capital
The development, Bahrain Bay Tower, will consist of two residential towers connected “by a plinth of retail, office, parking, and public park space.”
Cultural Facilities | Sep 24, 2015
Bakpak Architects' 'pottery courtyard' concept in Poland incorporates local heritage
The multifunctional building proposed for Rzeszow, Poland, looks like it was handcrafted on a potter’s wheel.
Mixed-Use | Aug 26, 2015
Innovation districts + tech clusters: How the ‘open innovation’ era is revitalizing urban cores
In the race for highly coveted tech companies and startups, cities, institutions, and developers are teaming to form innovation hot pockets.
High-rise Construction | Aug 7, 2015
Tribute tower to cricket world champs will be Sri Lanka’s tallest
The 1996 Iconic Tower will be a tribute to the country’s cricket team, which won the World Cup in 1996.
High-rise Construction | Aug 4, 2015
Construction of Vietnam’s tallest building commences in Ho Chi Minh City
A 1,509-foot skyscraper broke ground on the banks of the Saigon River in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
High-rise Construction | Jul 29, 2015
Jerusalem to get a high-rise pyramid by Daniel Libeskind
Are pyramids making a comeback? The city of Paris recently approved a triangle-shaped building that stirred controversy from residents. Now, the city of Jerusalem gave Libeskind's pyramid tower the go-ahead.
Mixed-Use | Jul 22, 2015
Despite China's 'ghost cities,' the country continues construction boom
Cities continue to spring up in the heart of China. Designed to accommodate millions, many are still nearly empty.
High-rise Construction | Jul 13, 2015
Herzog & de Meuron’s triangle tower stirs controversy in Paris
The 590-foot glass pyramid building will include a 120-room hotel, 754,000 sf of office space, and cultural facilities.
