Paris-based Atelier Tsuyoshi Tane Architects (ATTA) is moving forward with its plans for a major expansion of Frank Lloyd Wright's beloved Imperial Hotel in Tokyo following their selection as the project’s winning design architect in November of 2021.
The project will be the fourth such major overhaul of Yuzuru Watanabe’s original 1890 design and links Wright (who strove in his multiple renovations from 1923 onward to blend eastern and western motifs as much as possible) with the present-day and future development of architecture as a culture-bridging discipline.
Tane’s instincts for the project were based on his beliefs that the hotel should be returned to its late-1920s reputation as the “Jewel of the Orient,” a source of national pride, and an important cultural exchange. His team says they will utilize a “unique archaeological approach” that considers the many layers of history and typology present at the site while in the process of realizing their design for the new Main Building. The hotel's existing Frank Lloyd Wright suite will remain intact in its present form.
The building itself will be defined by dual concepts of ‘tower,’ which carries the metaphor of human progress, and ‘palace,’ which is meant to symbolize a welcoming space for visitors and the hotel’s organizing mission to “meet societal needs and contribute to society” as envisioned by its first chairman Eiichi Shibusawa.
Tane, who was born in Tokyo and works in France, has held a teaching position at the Columbia GSAPP and says to have made a deep consideration of memory, place, and community as a central part of his 30-person office’s “positive vision of the future.”
He told The Japan Times recently of the Imperial Hotel plans: “The idea is to create an urban grand hotel where the lobby will be celebrated with theatrical splendor and grandeur. The past memories will build the future of this iconic hotel.”
“I believe that architectural aesthetics should belong to the style of the place, and I am not interested in imposing an architect's style,” Tane continued. “Wright was influenced by the ancient Mayan civilization. We've studied ancient temples and palaces, ornaments from diverse civilizations and cultures for this project.”
Construction on the new Main Building is expected to begin sometime in 2031. ATTA and the hotel say an overall project completion is still on track for 2036.
6 Comments
I don't think the '1932' image of the hotel is correct if you look at the style of cars and surrounding buildings. I would guess mid-60's
You are correct. While the building is from the 1930s, this photograph was taken in 1965. We have updated the image caption accordingly.
The building was designed around 1915-16 and construction was begun in 1919. By the 30's, FLW was dipping his quill in European Modernism which was steadily gaining ground. Imperial-Hotel-Tokyo-Plans-Design-Frank-Lloyd-Wright. Sorry to sound pedantic!
Sorry - Wright's building no longer exists!
According to the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, "Though the Imperial Hotel was demolished in 1968, the entrance lobby was saved and reconstructed at the Meiji Mura architecture museum in Nagoya"
it's disingenuous to call this an expansion to the FLW hotel, which was demolished decades ago. the existing 1968 building will also be demolished. this is simply a new project on a site with a rich architectural history.
the architect seems to be trying to re-interpret wright's design at a larger scale in a new building. the design is elegant and does have some of the texture and massing of a wright building, loosely interpreted.
Totally correct Midlander. I've been to the FLW hotel a few times, but it isnt in Tokyo, and its only the lobby with a curtain put up where the building abruptly ends. It was moved to Nagoya (Meiji mura theme architecture park) in the late 60's. The original was replaced with a not-close-to-memorable building, and a replacement has been talked about hopefully for awhile.
It is hard to judge Tane's work from the few renderings. The delicate feel is something to look forward to after so many heavy glass and stone buildings in the area. The open ground floor also has a nice feeling. The entire area has a very closed vibe right now, with no kind of street life, roads devoted entirely to cars. Would be great if this signalled something new for the future.
Not for nothing, would be a miracle if the masterpiece by Kunio Maekawa - just down the road and recently demolished - were replaced by something as good as what was lost.
Japan is amazing at remaking itself over and over without much concern for history, or even quality. Sometimes we get lucky and a great thing comes out of the process, sometimes the opposite. This project at least seems to be directionally better than before. It has nothing to do with Frank Lloyd Wright though.
Can understand the desire to claim to be his successor, but damn that is such an easy target to miss. Claiming to be as singular as FLW and then doing anything that is not as innovative and way out on its own limb is risks being weak by comparison. Sou Fujimoto could probably say something like that, but he doesnt need to...
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