Heatherwick Studio has commenced construction on the redevelopment of the Toranomon-Azabudai district of Tokyo. the project is due to complete in March 2023 and is Heatherwick Studio's first project in Japan to move into construction.
The studio focused on the "public realm and lower-level podium architecture" of the development, including landscaping and retail. The design includes a mix of office, residential, retail, and a school and temple, "all set within a new vibrant piece of urban topography to achieve Mori Building Company's ambition of creating an exceptional public district for the city."
“It’s been very exciting working on the Toranomon-Azabudai project and much of our effort has been focused on designing the public spaces that everyone will experience when they spend time in this new area. As many new developments around the world can be harsh and sterile we wondered if we could provide a more human-centered alternative by integrating surprisingly intense quantities of planting and greenery,” said Thomas Heatherwick about the project.
Group Leader at Heatherwick Studio, Neil Hubbard also said: “It’s been a remarkable period over the last four years to work with Mori Building Company, to create this new part of Tokyo – going beyond the norms of typical large mixed-use developments to create something meaningfully embedded within the city.
It does feel a bit like the developers or the local architect/builder company watered it down more than they should have.
Interiors do look nice. If the building connects to the area around it as well as it hints it might be a nice addition to an otherwise dry design going up in the area.
There isnt much context given but this area is undergoing a fair amount of development lately and is turning into a fairly serious new urban centre/destination in Tokyo. There are many such places in Tokyo already and most development projects that take direct aim at becoming real places to gather tend to fail unless it happens organically. This development seems to be banking on bringing in non japanese architects to tip the balance. OMA is doing a project here too.
Maybe it will work. So far I find the planning of the area confusing and confused and not particularly of high quality. Money is spent and in material terms the finishes are very high end all round, but when it comes to urban connectivity and all the rest the whole place is absurdly bad. Like the Hudson Yards development choices are made to not be part of the city. Roppongi Hills is the same, except not as bad. Here we seem to be heading for something mediocre.
From that perspective Heatherwick's addition might do something nice if it works out. Im not sure where it is exactly so will have to wait and see. Seems to be split into two buildings with slightly different character on each bit of land. If they work together to extend impact beyond the property line I would call it a success whatever the buildings look like. If not, then it would be hard to say its much more than a project to keep the office finances in order...
All 8 Comments
I have been fascinated by art nouveau since I discovered it :)
After The (empty) Vessel in New York, you'd have thought The Heatherwick Studio would find it difficult to find clients. To be fair, on the firm's website they are crafty enough to categorize The Vessel as an
"Object," not a Building. This new project in Tokyo looks as if The
Vessel melted. In a state of ruin, overgrown with vegetation, someone
seems to have left the lights on. This would be sub-par second year
undergraduate work at my school. How do they do it?
are you kidding, the vessel is a disaster only to architecture critics and faculty. for the petite demimonde of developers and investors who built the vessel, its a success at the level of the high line, maybe more; the vessel is significantly more naked in its ambition to sell real estate and lifestyle trinkets which accompany developments like hudson yards.
the tokyo project does look like a lazy attempt at architecture, its true, but that is thomas heatherwick! be interesting and exotic (british, great hair, nice name), have some NYT writeups, do work at prominent biennials, and suddenly everyone is throwing projects your way. why try to solve problems with good architecture, those clients want statement pieces! just drape a mesh, pipe something along the mesh normals, call it structure, sprinkle trees on top: architecture! fame and fortune will follow
Oh no! Please, dont! To comment Georges Dodds, I prefer "Vessels" than "Buildings" but I totally agree with him on this point: this design is not mature and represents useless formal gymnastic.
My main problem with Heatherwick is the attention he receives, wholly out of proportion with the merit of his work. In another time he would have at best been considered merely clever.
Not his fault, I suppose.
I think it shows promise. Not seeing where all the negativity in the preceding comments are coming from. Criticism seems the only way some people can express an opinion in our profession, nevermind whether it's constructive or not.
That being said, I am having a hard time connecting the first image above with the last image above ...they seem like different contexts to me (not the project itself). It's mostly that I can't connect the "immersed in a park" context of the last image with the undeniable urbane city center. But here it is, in a park again, at the front(?). I'm digging the warmth in the materials and the movement of the project. Keep on keeping on, Heatherwick.
i love it. i feel like he's making fun of something in a subtle way. kindof resembles a recent foster partners building caught in a very heavy net, and drowned in flowers. it's the flavored wine of buildings, which is silly, witty and intoxicating.
The bias towards a particular famous persons work goes both ways. Their persona and fame can elevate mediocre work to undeserving heights for fans, or for the haters, cause a knee jerk undeserving negative reaction. This is a nice project. The interior is very nice.
It does feel a bit like the developers or the local architect/builder company watered it down more than they should have.
Interiors do look nice. If the building connects to the area around it as well as it hints it might be a nice addition to an otherwise dry design going up in the area.
There isnt much context given but this area is undergoing a fair amount of development lately and is turning into a fairly serious new urban centre/destination in Tokyo. There are many such places in Tokyo already and most development projects that take direct aim at becoming real places to gather tend to fail unless it happens organically. This development seems to be banking on bringing in non japanese architects to tip the balance. OMA is doing a project here too.
Maybe it will work. So far I find the planning of the area confusing and confused and not particularly of high quality. Money is spent and in material terms the finishes are very high end all round, but when it comes to urban connectivity and all the rest the whole place is absurdly bad. Like the Hudson Yards development choices are made to not be part of the city. Roppongi Hills is the same, except not as bad. Here we seem to be heading for something mediocre.
From that perspective Heatherwick's addition might do something nice if it works out. Im not sure where it is exactly so will have to wait and see. Seems to be split into two buildings with slightly different character on each bit of land. If they work together to extend impact beyond the property line I would call it a success whatever the buildings look like. If not, then it would be hard to say its much more than a project to keep the office finances in order...
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