Design Ideas JOE BROWN, EDAW CEO

Tokyo Midtown Design Ideas Open space flows easily into the Tokyo Midtown site from surrounding streets and sidewalks, creating a strong sense of be...
Author: Angela Harris
1 downloads 2 Views 7MB Size
Tokyo Midtown

Design Ideas Open space flows easily into the Tokyo Midtown site from surrounding streets and sidewalks, creating a strong sense of being “on the ground,” in touch with the earth and nature. Interior and exterior spaces are characterized by a feeling of interconnectedness. Major view corridors, windows, bridges, and plazas open out onto open spaces, orienting the viewer relative to the park and to nature. Multiple and layered design ideas have blended at Tokyo Midtown to create a unique sequence of open

“ Our design approach created streams of connective landscapes, from the most urbane to the most gardenesque,

spaces. The design’s starting point involved building

melding cultural design influences from

upon and emphasizing existing site characteristics,

Rockefeller Center to the gardens of

such as topography and a lush, mature tree canopy.

Kyoto. The emphasis is on experience

These elements were reconfigured and layered with new elements that reinterpret the site’s cultural and natural histories, carefully focused to create rich experiential qualities and a distinct sense of place.

over visual composition.” JOE BROWN, EDAW CEO

“ Wa: as I understand it, this word translates as the essence of ‘Japaneseness.’ The goal was to capture that in a modern way in the landscape and

A historic stream that once traversed the site is reinterpreted as a contemporary, romanticized water feature,

the architecture. The design touches

drawing people into the park and leading down though meandering pathways to the 21_21 Design Museum,

on, but doesn’t stem from, a deep

the Great Lawn, and the traditional Japanese Garden.

understanding of Japanese culture.

Pedestrian bridges jut out to meet the park spaces, reinforcing the notion of interpenetration and connectedness.

I think that’s exactly what Mitsui

The juxtaposition and weaving of architectural landscape and abstracted natural forms—the curving architecture

Fudosan wanted to achieve by hiring

of the skylights in the plaza and straight lines overlaid onto the meandering stream in the park—creates tension

an American design firm.” STEVE HANSON, EDAW PRINCIPAL, DESIGN LEAD

between elements.

At a Glance

“ Our intent was to establish a town where a novel collection of Japanese values, sensibilities, and capabilities is continuously created, built up, and delivered to the world. We also wanted to celebrate nature and hospitality; entertaining and showing respect for

» Tokyo Midtown is a mixed-use development located in the heart of the Roppongi District. » Project design began August 2002, with construction documentation completed in February 2004. » Archaeological exploration was conducted from March 2002 to August 2003. Over fifty thousand pieces of Edo-period (1596-1698) pottery were found, along with two gold coins. » Construction began on May 18, 2004. » Over 50% of the project’s total area is dedicated to open space. » Over 140 mature, existing trees were transplanted. » The project’s total cost: $3.1 billion US.

» The central building, Tokyo Midtown Tower, is the second tallest building in Japan at 248 meters (814 feet).

the guest is very important in Japan.” TOSHIHIDE ICHIKAWA, MITSUI FUDOSAN CO., LTD. GENERAL MANAGER

» The total development is 10.1 hectares (25 acres), including a refurbished, 400-year-old site Hinokicho Park. » Total floor area of 563,800 square meters (6 million square feet): -

Commercial: Office: Housing: Hotel:

71,000 sq m / 764,000 sq ft 311,200 sq m / 3,350,000 sq ft 117,500 sq m / 1,265,000 sq ft Ritz-Carlton, top 9 floors of main tower, 248 rooms - Retail: 130 stores and restaurants (22,000 sq m / 237,000 sq ft) - Museums / Other: 20,300 sq m / 219,000 sq ft - Parking: two floors below grade

“ The close collaboration between SOM and EDAW from the very beginning of the Tokyo Midtown work is evident in the seamless, holistic integration of the site’s elements. The project’s organization blends Japanese landscape design throughout the complex to create a unique urban environment.” MUSTAFA ABADAN, FAIA DESIGN PARTNER, SKIDMORE OWINGS & MERRILL

Open & Inviting Tokyo Midtown’s great lawn is a particularly unusual feature in Japan; the standard for Japanese design is usually on a more intimate scale. It is an architectural expression in the landscape, overlaid onto the softer, stream-like forms of the park. The designers wanted to provide open, inviting green spaces that can be programmed for events as well as ones more

“ Midtown is a new touchstone for

conducive to solitude and horticultural interest.

regeneration of the Roppongi district. It will influence new development

40

mature

cherry

trees

were

preserved

and

transplanted on site, linking the entryway to Hinokicho

throughout Tokyo, Japan and beyond.”

Park and creating a “cherry promenade.” Cherry-

TODD KOHLI, EDAW SENIOR ASSOCIATE

blossom season is a storied time of celebration in Japan. When the trees are in bloom, people take off

“ In a contemporary, dense urban

time from work to gather at their favorite tree with

environment, it is critical to have space

a blanket, picnic, and drinks. During this season,

that feels welcoming and attractive in

Tokyo Midtown can expect thousands of visitors

order to stimulate the cultural and social interaction that gives the place life.” AKI OMI, EDAW SENIOR ASSOCIATE

attracted by the opportunity to celebrate the cycle of seasons and the beauty of the trees.

150 Chestnut Street, San Francisco, CA 94111, USA Tel: (415) 955-2800 Fax: (415) 788-4875 LEFT TO RIGHT: Steve Hanson Principal -

Design Lead,

Todd Kohli Senior Associate - Landscape Architect, Joe Brown CEO, Aki Omi Senior Associate CLIENT: Mitsui

Fudosan Co., Ltd.

» Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (New York, USA) » Communication Arts, Inc. (Colorado, USA) » Fisher Marantz Stone (New York, USA) » Buro Happold (New York, USA) » Nikken Sekkei, Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan) » Kengo Kuma & Associates (Tokyo, Japan) » Sakakura Associates Architects and Engineers (Tokyo, Japan) » Jun Aoki and Associates (Tokyo, Japan) » Tadao Ando Architect and Associates (Osaka, Japan) » Construction Team: Takenaka Corporation and Taisei Corporation (Tokyo, Japan)

© EDAW / Photography by David Lloyd. Graphic Design by Novi Osborne.

» EDAW Inc - San Francisco

www.edaw.com

Printed on recycled paper

TO D D KO H L I

FOUND IN

© E DAW / TO D D K O H L I © E DAW / TO D D K O H L I

Translation The Tokyo Midtown project includes a great lawn, an unusual feature in Japan where green space traditionally has been confined to private gardens and sacred spaces. Fifty percent of the project’s 25 acres (ten ha) is made up of parks, promenades, streetscapes, and plazas.

Tokyo’s new green, mixed-use midtown project is designed to create an urban oasis.

94

U R B A N LA N D

Traditionally, green space in Tokyo is in the form of private gardens and sacred spaces: landscapes designed to be looked at rather than used. Tokyo is not thought of as a city of public parks like those found in New York or Paris, but with the opening last month of developer Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.’s Tokyo Midtown project, that perception soon may change. Situated on two main roads within the Roppongi District, this new mixed-use development includes Class A office space, high-end retail, restaurants, residential units, a Ritz Carlton hotel, a museum, and a convention center. A distinctively unusual feature is that 50 percent of the project’s 25 acres (ten ha) is made up of parks, promenades, streetscapes, and plazas. Developer Mitsui Fudosan acquired an exceptionally rare site. Then, six organizations, with Mitsui as the lead representative, partnered to purchase the Tokyo Midtown land. One of the site’s most valuable attributes is its continuity,

APRIL

2007

which allowed the developers to skip the customary process of purchasing several disparate abutting parcels and cobbling them together. The site was originally the estate of an Edo-period feudal lord where past archaeological investigations turned up hundreds of pieces of pottery and other artifacts, including several 15th-century gold coins. The Japanese army subsequently used the property in various ways; after World War II, the U.S. Army had barracks on the site, and in its last incarnation, the Japanese Defense Agency occupied it. The government decided to sell the land in 2001, and the consortium led by Mitsui Fudosan won it at auction in September of that year. Mitsui Fudosan was looking for a decidedly nontraditional attitude toward the open-space program and chose a design team from outside Japan that included design architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) and landscape architects EDAW, Inc. Local touchstones for the open-space program

The main tower, a 54-story structure, rises from the green plaza of the Tokyo Midtown project.

© E DAW / TO D D K O H L I

were more difficult to find. The largest public open space within Tokyo is the Imperial Palace, the walls of which are surrounded by parklands. Although the palace grounds are a valuable cultural and historic asset, they are cut off from the city’s context by a wide, encircling road. Essentially, the palace is an island, with no associated development adjacent to the property. “The palace’s grounds are a political landscape,” explains Steve Hanson, EDAW’s principal-in-charge of the project. “By design, they are exclusive. The park-as-communalspace is virtually unknown in Tokyo.” Traditional Japanese landscape typologies encourage privacy and contemplation, but—with the exception of playgrounds and sports fields—do not usually invite active use. The Tokyo Midtown landscape program is designed to provide a degree of variety not often found in Tokyo’s outdoor experience. “Our design approach created streams of connective landscapes, from the most urbane to the most gardenesque,” says EDAW president and CEO Joe Brown. The development’s five high-rise buildings range across a diverse topography. After the existing military buildings were razed, more than 140 mature trees on the site were moved to new locations, imparting an atmosphere of maturity and history. The site also includes Hinokicho Park, a historic green space that Mitsui had had restored and refurbished. “The landscape has three primary ‘big movements,’” says Hanson. “The park is drawn out into the newer green areas. A series of water features begins at the plaza and flows down toward a great lawn, which is itself an extension of the wedge space created by the galleria architecture.”

Hotel

Office Residential Residential

Museum

Office Retail Retail

© [ C ] M I T S U I F U D O S A N , LT D.

The site’s five buildings include residential and office space, a retail galleria, a museum, and, on the top level of the main tower, a Ritz-Carlton hotel. The proportions of the site’s high rises were inspired by the composition of rock clusters in Japanese dry gardens, with the 54-story tower as the dominant central element, surrounded by lower, asymmetrical structures.

APRIL

2007

U R B A N LA N D

95

Hardscape paving patterns are derived from the familiar proportions of tatami mats, the traditional woven rice straw floor covering. Black bands in the paving echo the mats’ cloth hems and reflect elements of the building facades. Perhaps most notably, the project includes 40 transplanted, mature cherry trees, linking the entryway to Hinokicho Park and creating a subtle cherry promenade. When the trees’ famous pink and white buds are in bloom, people may even take time off from work to gather at their favorite tree with a blanket, picnic, and drinks. During this season, Tokyo Midtown can reasonably expect thousands of visitors attracted by the opportunity to celebrate the cycle of seasons and the beauty of the trees—as well as visitors drawn to the shopping galleria and restaurants, bringing revenue to the development. While the cherry-blossom celebration at the new site is expected to draw crowds to Tokyo Midtown, developers also are working to bring an ongoing stream of people through the street, plaza, park, and shops. To facilitate this kind of long-term visitation, Mitsui Fudosan helped route two subway lines to the project, refurbishing an existing subway stop for one line and redirecting underground passageways to provide an exit at Tokyo Midtown. The other line received three new entrance/exit points, two within the project and one across the street. This connectivity—both physical and psychological—was considered vital for a number of reasons. Access to and from all of the site’s attractions needs to come instinctively to pedestrians. A network of pedestrian pathways creates linkages throughout the entire development, while the street-

Large plazas and gathering areas are designed to promote community and communicate a sense of the site’s overall scale, while smaller gardens appear throughout the park setting.

96

U R B A N LA N D

The large lawn is a particularly unusual feature in Japan. “The standard for Japanese design customarily is on a more intimate scale,” says Hanson. “At Tokyo Midtown, we wanted to create experiences that are open and inviting, green spaces that can be programmed for events, and others that are more conducive to solitude and horticultural interest. The latter experience,” he adds, “is probably more typically Japanese.” Original designs were more characteristically modern and Western, but during a later phase of the project, a new group at Mitsui requested more Japanese touches. Subsequent designs involved more traditionally Japanese depictions of landscape as a series of narratives, framing nature. Landscape zones play on the site’s topography and natural landscape features, and include a mountain top with its bubbling water; a misty Alpine meadow; a mountain stream with weirs and whitewater; a perimeter forest edge, with dark evergreens and ferns; and a valley drive, with its abundance of cherry trees.

APRIL

2007

© E DAW / TO D D K O H L I

© E DAW / D O N L E E

A stream in the park passes by 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT, a new research and design center created by Japanese architect Tadao Ando. The building has two levels, one visible above the ground, the other, larger, and underground.

© E DAW / S T E V E H A N S O N

F o u n d i n Tr a n s l a t i o n

© E DAW / TO D D K O H L I

A network of pedestrian pathways creates linkages throughout the entire project, including its canopied, tree-filled plaza.

scape’s large shade trees soften transitions from park to hardscape. Bridges and plazas provide a visual connection to the urban character of the Roppongi District beyond. Green gateways at road and parkland entrances and edges ease transition to the neighborhood ahead. Despite its upscale housing component, Tokyo Midtown is notably open in character. Although it is an exclusive development, Tokyo Midtown remains connected to the neighborhood. “It’s unusual—not just in Tokyo, but in urban centers worldwide—to pair high-end housing and retail with public open space,” says Hanson. “To be frank,” he adds, “Roppongi isn’t the most wholesome place, though on the whole, Tokyo is a relatively safe city. Roppongi has an abundant nightlife: clubs, bars, and entertainment. Mitsui Fudosan really wanted us to consider the safety and comfort of the project’s residents, workers, and visitors, as well as the safety and comfort of residents in the surrounding area. The character of Roppongi itself is changing, and this project is part of that change.” As soon as Mitsui Fudosan purchased the land, the development company opened an office to coordinate and host community involvement. Some 300 residents attended the kickoff meeting, and, according to Hanson, continued to make their voices heard at subsequent meetings. Locals were also invited to the site for progress reports and tours. The feedback was that the park might have security issues,” says Hanson. In response, the design team developed a plan similar to that employed by New York City’s Rockefeller Center: the use of abundant nighttime lighting, security cameras, and on-site staff. This team of “concierges,” as staff

members are known, will be on call to assist visitors and residents with directions and information, and will also act as de facto security guards. With this investment in security; transportation infrastructure; and the site’s open space, office, and retail components— a total of 6 million square feet (557,418 sq m), constructed at a cost of approximately $3.1 billion (€2,350,526,863)—Mitsui Fudosan is anticipating more than 75,000 people to pass through the site every day and more than 25 million per year. Some of these visitors will picnic, attend programmed events on Tokyo Midtown’s great lawn, or stroll along the water features. Others may visit the Suntory Museum of Art or the 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT facility, where designers, corporations, craftspeople, and engineers will be able to meet to research design. Associated development within the property is expected to spur further investment surrounding the new park that will contribute to the site’s balance of work, life, and entertainment. Although privately owned and developed, Tokyo Midtown establishes a series of safe and comfortable public open spaces—an urban oasis that is expected to contribute significantly to the quality of life for Tokyo’s residents. UL is a senior landscape architect and associate with EDAW, Inc., a planning and design firm.

TO D D KO H L I

This article is dedicated to the memory of William “Sandy” D’Elia, an architect and EDAW’s director of development, who died on July 3, 2006, at the age of 58. D’Elia was an advocate for urbanism throughout the world, a lover of Japanese culture, and the author’s mentor and friend.

APRIL

2007

U R B A N LA N D

97

PUBLICATIONS

URBAN LAND, “BUILDING A NEW TOKYO”, JULY 2007

EDAW INC DESIGN, PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTS WORLDWIDE

PUBLICATIONS

EDAW INC DESIGN, PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTS WORLDWIDE

PUBLICATIONS

EDAW INC DESIGN, PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTS WORLDWIDE

PUBLICATIONS

EDAW INC DESIGN, PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTS WORLDWIDE

PUBLICATIONS

EDAW INC DESIGN, PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTS WORLDWIDE

PUBLICATIONS

Tokyo Midtown, Nobuyuki Yoshida Publishing, 2007

EDAW INC DESIGN, PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTS WORLDWIDE

PUBLICATIONS

EDAW INC DESIGN, PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTS WORLDWIDE

PUBLICATIONS

EDAW INC DESIGN, PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTS WORLDWIDE

PUBLICATIONS

EDAW INC DESIGN, PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTS WORLDWIDE

PUBLICATIONS

EDAW INC DESIGN, PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTS WORLDWIDE

PUBLICATIONS

EDAW INC DESIGN, PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTS WORLDWIDE

PUBLICATIONS

EDAW INC DESIGN, PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTS WORLDWIDE

PUBLICATIONS

EDAW INC DESIGN, PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTS WORLDWIDE

PUBLICATIONS

EDAW INC DESIGN, PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTS WORLDWIDE

PUBLICATIONS

EDAW INC DESIGN, PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTS WORLDWIDE

PUBLICATIONS

EDAW INC DESIGN, PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTS WORLDWIDE

PUBLICATIONS

EDAW INC DESIGN, PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTS WORLDWIDE

PUBLICATIONS

EDAW INC DESIGN, PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTS WORLDWIDE

PUBLICATIONS

EDAW INC DESIGN, PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTS WORLDWIDE

PUBLICATIONS

Landscape World, voLUME 06, 2007

EDAW INC DESIGN, PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTS WORLDWIDE

PUBLICATIONS

EDAW INC DESIGN, PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTS WORLDWIDE

PUBLICATIONS

EDAW INC DESIGN, PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTS WORLDWIDE

PUBLICATIONS

EDAW INC DESIGN, PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTS WORLDWIDE

PUBLICATIONS

EDAW INC DESIGN, PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTS WORLDWIDE

PUBLICATIONS

EDAW INC DESIGN, PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTS WORLDWIDE

PUBLICATIONS

EDAW INC DESIGN, PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTS WORLDWIDE

PUBLICATIONS

EDAW INC DESIGN, PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTS WORLDWIDE

PUBLICATIONS

EDAW INC DESIGN, PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTS WORLDWIDE

PUBLICATIONS

BEST PRACTICES IN DEVELOPMENT, Urban land institute, 2008

EDAW INC DESIGN, PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTS WORLDWIDE

PUBLICATIONS

EDAW INC DESIGN, PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTS WORLDWIDE

PUBLICATIONS

EDAW INC DESIGN, PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTS WORLDWIDE

PUBLICATIONS

EDAW INC DESIGN, PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTS WORLDWIDE

PUBLICATIONS

EDAW INC DESIGN, PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTS WORLDWIDE