The assignment is to design a “palazzo” for Tokyo in Sasazuka. The site is characterized by a large elevated expressway right in front of the building. Our design reacts to the difficult site condition by positioning a mix of functions on different levels, corresponding to the quality of that level, or lack thereof. Public, commercial spaces can be found on the ground floor, while parking space is positioned at the level of the expressway, finally, the levels above the expressway, which have the highest spatial quality, are reserved for apartments with a view.
Stay In The Sky Stay in The Sky
The area in front of Jiyugaoka station North exit is exposed to intensive flows of people as well as various things and events in the town. From early morning to midnight, scenes change constantly through local people’s ac- tivities, the tides of 160,000 commuters and visitors a day, car and train fluxes, and the operations of shops and offices, all of which punctuate the apparently chaotic scenes into unique rhythms of the town like slow breath- ing.
Now almost buried among recent high-rise buildings, five two-storey shops facing the sta- tion square still remain as the face of the town, and one would notice the shops share an un- even yet similar-height roofline. Once noticed, the contrast between new high-rises and the surviving low-rises looks like a reminder of old Jiyugaoka back in the rapidly fading past.
Our accommodation project “YOUR PRIVATE SKY” redefines the now-hidden roofline into an open space for the shop customers and lo- cal and visiting rooftop lovers, while providing special access to sky and townscape only with the guests.
Sleeping With Art
THE NIGHT SPENT WITH ART
The project is a proposal for an art complex containing an exhibition hall, a visiting artist residence, a café, a sculpture park and three art accomodation units. The site is a parking lot located in a busy area of Jiyugaoka, fac- ing one of the main shopping streets. The part facing the main road is occupied by an old tra- ditional wooden japanese house accompanied by big old trees which are `hiding` the inner part of the site where accomodations are lo- cated and create a quiet lagoon in the middle of this busy district.
The main concept of the proposal is to high- light the cultural history of Jiyugaoka and al- low visitors to experience art from a different perspective, that is to say the opportunity to spend the night together with art.
The artist residence connected to the exhibi- tion hall provides a special experience where the artist can be seen working at the time of ongoing exhibition.
During the day, the accomodations are open to the public as part of the sculpture park. During the night the units, designed to have their own private `gardens` transforms from
exhibition units to accomodating ones.
This transformation was one of the main focus points during the design process of the pro- posal.
The location of the site, disposition of the units on site in a sequence gradually opening up and the fact of unexpected usage of these units re- flects the head theme of unpredictability.
West Side Highway
It is characteristic circulation in Tokyo that the stress between a highway, which is a huge infrastructure appeared from the present age, and the residential area of the small or middle scale around it. Then this project was considered about the way of the huge building which is adapted to a various demands, including housing, of the city.
We divided the building into three zone: high rise medium rise-low rise. Therefore, we make three level for the building, as it will be seen from the back side and the local street side. These height differences shows communication between the maximum height of the palazzo with the neighborhood site.
Thus we make two contrast facade; back side with the heights difference and vast square for the front facade seen from the highway and main street. In facade, we emphasize the back facade by using terrace and made it randomly configurated. For the front side, vast surface of square with regular small windows. Knowing that the palazzo location is near the highway which mostly blocked, we also put special box as a hollow to catch the attention from the passerby.
We decided 3 layers by composition of existing palazzo and relationship to facing highway. Lower part is for pedestrian, middle part is facing to highway, and above is higher part. This building get the facade that reflect context by articulation of volume and opening. We make a connection with shop in lower part and common space in middle by continuous step and terrace from sectional zoning of program. In upper part, change shape of plan conforming with terrace or articulation of elevation.
Ryoku-Do Tower
The qualities of the site is the view on passing trains with close access to the station, also it is between the old little house and the backside of a big shopping mall.
The project explores the concept of an ur- ban capsule hotel, where the rooms are only for sleeping and relaxing, while the main ac- tivites happens outside of the capsule – in the common spaces like terraces as well as in the corridors and of course the lively area of Jiyu- gaoka. The room unit explores the idea of the “capsule thrown to the city”.