大師級景觀設(shè)計

Tokyo

Midtownopen

out

onto

open

spaces,

orienting

the

viewerrelative

to

the

park

and

to

nature.Multiple

and

layered

design

ideas

have

blended

atTokyo

Midtown

to

create

a

unique

sequence

of

openspaces.

The

design’s

starting

point

involved

buildingupon

and

emphasizing

existing

site

characteristics,such

as

topography

and

a

lush,

mature

tree

canopy.These

elements

were

recon

?

gured

and

layered

withnew

elements

that

reinterpret

the

site’s

culturaland

natural

histories,

carefully

focused

to

create

richexperiential

qualities

and

a

distinct

sense

of

place.Design

Ideas

Open

space

?

ows

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“

Our

design

approach

created

streams

of

connective

landscapes,

from

the

most

urbane

to

the

most

gardenesque,

melding

cultural

design

in

?

uences

from

Rockefeller

Center

to

the

gardens

of

Kyoto.

The

emphasis

is

on

experience

over

visual

composition.”

JOE

BROWN,

EDAW

CEO“

Wa:

as

I

understand

it,

this

word

translates

as

the

essence

of

‘Japanese-

ness.’

The

goal

was

to

capture

that

in

a

modern

way

in

the

landscape

and

the

architecture.

The

design

touches

on,

but

doesn’t

stem

from,

a

deep

understanding

of

Japanese

culture.

I

think

that’s

exactly

what

Mitsui

Fudosan

wanted

to

achieve

by

hiring

an

American

design

?

rm.”

STEVE

HANSON,

EDAW

PRINCIPAL,

DESIGN

LEADA

historic

stream

that

once

traversed

the

site

is

reinterpreted

as

a

contemporary,

romanticized

water

feature,drawing

people

into

the

park

and

leading

down

though

meandering

pathways

to

the

21_21

Design

Museum,the

Great

Lawn,

and

the

traditional

Japanese

Garden.Pedestrian

bridges

jut

out

to

meet

the

park

spaces,

reinforcing

the

notion

of

interpenetration

and

connectedness.The

juxtaposition

and

weaving

of

architectural

landscape

and

abstracted

natural

forms—the

curving

architectureof

the

skylights

in

the

plaza

and

straight

lines

overlaid

onto

the

meandering

stream

in

the

park—creates

tensionbetween

elements.“

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

the

guest

is

very

important

in

Japan.”

TOSHIHIDE

ICHIKAWA,

MITSUI

FUDOSAN

CO.,

LTD.

GENERAL

MANAGERAt

a

Glance

?

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

?

fty

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

total

development

is

10.1

hectares

(25

acres),

including

a

refurbished,

400-year-old

site

Hinokicho

Park.?

Total

?

oor

area

of

563,800

square

meters

(6

million

square

feet):Commercial:Of

?

ce:Housing:Hotel:71,000

sq

m

/

764,000

sq

ft311,200

sq

m

/

3,350,000

sq

ft117,500

sq

m

/

1,265,000

sq

ftRitz-Carlton,

top

9

?

oors

ofmain

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

?

oors

below

grade“

The

close

collaboration

between

SOM

and

EDAW

from

the

verybeginning

of

the

Tokyo

Midtown

workis

evident

in

the

seamless,

holisticintegration

of

the

site’s

elements.The

project’s

organization

blendsJapanese

landscape

design

through-out

the

complex

to

create

a

uniqueurban

environment.”MUSTAFA

ABADAN,

FAIADESIGN

PARTNER,

SKIDMORE

OWINGS

&

MERRILLbe

programmed

for

events

as

well

as

ones

moreconducive

to

solitude

and

horticultural

interest.40

mature

cherry

trees

were

preserved

andtransplanted

on

site,

linking

the

entryway

to

HinokichoPark

and

creating

a

“cherry

promenade.”

Cherry-blossom

season

is

a

storied

time

of

celebration

inJapan.

When

the

trees

are

in

bloom,

people

take

offtime

from

work

to

gather

at

their

favorite

tree

witha

blanket,

picnic,

and

drinks.

During

this

season,Tokyo

Midtown

can

expect

thousands

of

visitorsattracted

by

the

opportunity

to

celebrate

the

cycleof

seasons

and

the

beauty

of

the

trees.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“

Midtown

is

a

new

touchstone

for

regeneration

of

the

Roppongi

district.

It

will

in

?

uence

new

development

throughout

Tokyo,

Japan

and

beyond.”

TODD

KOHLI,

EDAW

SENIOR

ASSOCIATE“

In

a

contemporary,

dense

urban

environment,

it

is

critical

to

have

space

that

feels

welcoming

and

attractive

in

order

to

stimulate

the

cultural

and

social

interaction

that

gives

the

place

life.”

AKI

OMI,

EDAW

SENIOR

ASSOCIATE?

EDAW

/

Photography

by

David

Lloyd.

Graphic

Design

by

Novi

Osborne.LEFT

TO

RIGHT:

Steve

Hanson

Principal

-Design

Lead,Todd

Kohli

Senior

Associate

-

Landscape

Architect,Joe

Brown

CEO,

Aki

Omi

Senior

AssociateCLIENT:

MitsuiFudosan

Co.,

Ltd.?

EDAW

Inc

-

San

Francisco

150

Chestnut

Street,

San

Francisco,

CA

94111,

USA

Tel:

(415)

955-2800

Fax:

(415)

788-4875?

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)Printed

on

recycled

paper94

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

distinc-

tively

unusual

feature

is

that

50

percent

of

the

project’s

25

acres

(ten

ha)

is

made

up

of

parks,

promenades,

street-

scapes,

and

plazas.

Developer

Mitsui

Fudosan

acquired

an

exceptionally

rare

site.

Then,

six

organizations,

with

Mitsui

as

the

lead

repre-

sentative,

partnered

to

purchase

the

Tokyo

Midtown

land.

One

of

the

site’s

most

valuable

attributes

is

its

continuity,APRIL

2007which

allowed

the

developers

to

skip

the

customary

processof

purchasing

several

disparate

abutting

parcels

and

cob-bling

them

together.

The

site

was

originally

the

estate

of

anEdo-period

feudal

lord

where

past

archaeological

investiga-tions

turned

up

hundreds

of

pieces

of

pottery

and

other

arti-facts,

including

several

15th-century

gold

coins.

The

Japanesearmy

subsequently

used

the

property

in

various

ways;

afterWorld

War

II,

the

U.S.

Army

had

barracks

on

the

site,

and

inits

last

incarnation,

the

Japanese

Defense

Agency

occupiedit.

The

government

decided

to

sell

the

land

in

2001,

and

theconsortium

led

by

Mitsui

Fudosan

won

it

at

auction

in

Sep-tember

of

that

year.

Mitsui

Fudosan

was

looking

for

a

decidedly

nontraditionalattitude

toward

the

open-space

program

and

chose

a

designteam

from

outside

Japan

that

included

design

architectsSkidmore,

Owings

&

Merrill

(SOM)

and

landscape

architectsEDAW,

Inc.

Local

touchstones

for

the

open-space

program

Tokyo’s

new

green,

mixed-usemidtown

project

isdesigned

to

create

an

urban

oasis.

U

R

B

A

N

LA

N

D

TO

D

D

KO

H

L

ITranslation?

EDAW/TODD

KOHLIThe

Tokyo

Midtown

project

includes

a

great

lawn,

an

unusual

feature

in

Japan

where

greenspace

traditionally

has

been

confined

to

private

gardens

and

sacred

spaces.

Fifty

percent

ofthe

project’s

25

acres

(ten

ha)

is

made

up

of

parks,

promenades,

streetscapes,

and

plazas.?

EDAW/TODD

KOHLIAPRIL2007U

R

B

A

N

LA

N

D95ResidentialOfficeRetail

OfficeResidential

Museum

Retailwere

more

difficult

to

find.

The

largest

public

open

spacewithin

Tokyo

is

the

Imperial

Palace,

the

walls

of

which

are

sur-rounded

by

parklands.

Although

the

palace

grounds

are

avaluable

cultural

and

historic

asset,

they

are

cut

off

from

thecity’s

context

by

a

wide,

encircling

road.

Essentially,

the

palaceis

an

island,

with

no

associated

development

adjacent

to

theproperty.

“The

palace’s

grounds

are

a

political

landscape,”explains

Steve

Hanson,

EDAW’s

principal-in-charge

of

the

proj-ect.

“By

design,

they

are

exclusive.

The

park-as-communal-space

is

virtually

unknown

in

Tokyo.”

Traditional

Japanese

landscape

typologies

encourage

pri-vacy

and

contemplation,

but—with

the

exception

of

play-grounds

and

sports

fields—do

not

usually

invite

active

use.The

Tokyo

Midtown

landscape

program

is

designed

to

pro-vide

a

degree

of

variety

not

often

found

in

Tokyo’s

outdoorexperience.

“Our

design

approach

created

streams

of

connec-tive

landscapes,

from

the

most

urbane

to

the

most

garde-nesque,”

says

EDAW

president

and

CEO

Joe

Brown.

The

development’s

five

high-rise

buildings

range

across

adiverse

topography.

After

the

existing

military

buildings

wererazed,

more

than

140

mature

trees

on

the

site

were

movedto

new

locations,

imparting

an

atmosphere

of

maturity

andhistory.

The

site

also

includes

Hinokicho

Park,

a

historicgreen

space

that

Mitsui

had

had

restored

and

refurbished.“The

landscape

has

three

primary

‘big

movements,’”

saysHanson.

“The

park

is

drawn

out

into

the

newer

green

areas.A

series

of

water

features

begins

at

the

plaza

and

flows

downtoward

a

great

lawn,

which

is

itself

an

extension

of

thewedge

space

created

by

the

galleria

architecture.”

Hotel?

EDAW/TODD

KOHLIThe

main

tower,

a

54-story

structure,

rises

from

the

green

plaza

ofthe

Tokyo

Midtown

project.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

the54-story

tower

as

the

dominantcentral

element,

surrounded

bylower,

asymmetrical

structures.?

[C]MITSUI

FUDOSAN,

LTD.96U

R

B

A

N

LA

N

DAPRIL2007

The

large

lawn

is

a

particularly

unusual

feature

in

Japan.“The

standard

for

Japanese

design

customarily

is

on

a

moreintimate

scale,”

says

Hanson.

“At

Tokyo

Midtown,

we

wantedto

create

experiences

that

are

open

and

inviting,

green

spacesthat

can

be

programmed

for

events,

and

others

that

are

moreconducive

to

solitude

and

horticultural

interest.

The

latter

expe-rience,”

he

adds,

“is

probably

more

typically

Japanese.”

Original

designs

were

more

characteristically

modern

andWestern,

but

during

a

later

phase

of

the

project,

a

new

groupat

Mitsui

requested

more

Japanese

touches.

Subsequentdesigns

involved

more

traditionally

Japanese

depictions

oflandscape

as

a

series

of

narratives,

framing

nature.

Landscapezones

play

on

the

site’s

topography

and

natural

landscape

fea-tures,

and

include

a

mountain

top

with

its

bubbling

water;

amisty

Alpine

meadow;

a

mountain

stream

with

weirs

andwhitewater;

a

perimeter

forest

edge,

with

dark

evergreens

andferns;

and

a

valley

drive,

with

its

abundance

of

cherry

trees.Large

plazas

and

gatheringareas

are

designed

topromote

community

andcommunicate

a

sense

of

thesite’s

overall

scale,

whilesmaller

gardens

appearthroughout

the

park

setting.?

EDAW/DON

LEEHardscape

paving

patterns

are

derived

from

the

familiar

pro-portions

of

tatami

mats,

the

traditional

woven

rice

strawfloor

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

andcreating

a

subtle

cherry

promenade.

When

the

trees’

famouspink

and

white

buds

are

in

bloom,

people

may

even

take

timeoff

from

work

to

gather

at

their

favorite

tree

with

a

blanket,picnic,

and

drinks.

During

this

season,

Tokyo

Midtown

can

rea-sonably

expect

thousands

of

visitors

attracted

by

the

opportu-nity

to

celebrate

the

cycle

of

seasons

and

the

beauty

of

thetrees—as

well

as

visitors

drawn

to

the

shopping

galleria

andrestaurants,

bringing

revenue

to

the

development.

While

the

cherry-blossom

celebration

at

the

new

siteis

expected

to

draw

crowds

to

Tokyo

Midtown,

developersalso

are

working

to

bring

an

ongoing

stream

of

peoplethrough

the

street,

plaza,

park,

and

shops.

To

facilitatethis

kind

of

long-term

visitation,

Mitsui

Fudosan

helpedroute

two

subway

lines

to

the

project,

refurbishing

anexisting

subway

stop

for

one

line

and

redirecting

under-ground

passageways

to

provide

an

exit

at

Tokyo

Midtown.The

other

line

received

three

new

entrance/exit

points,

twowithin

the

project

and

one

across

the

street.

This

connectivity—both

physical

and

psychological—wasconsidered

vital

for

a

number

of

reasons.

Access

to

and

fromall

of

the

site’s

attractions

needs

to

come

instinctively

topedestrians.

A

network

of

pedestrian

pathways

creates

link-ages

throughout

the

entire

development,

while

the

street-

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.?

EDAW/TODD

KOHLIU

R

B

A

N

LA

N

D97scape’s

large

shade

trees

soften

transitions

from

park

to

hard-scape.

Bridges

and

plazas

provide

a

visual

connection

to

theurban

character

of

the

Roppongi

District

beyond.

Green

gate-ways

at

road

and

parkland

entrances

and

edges

ease

transi-tion

to

the

neighborhood

ahead.

Despite

its

upscale

housingcomponent,

Tokyo

Midtown

is

notably

open

in

character.Although

it

is

an

exclusive

development,

Tokyo

Midtownremains

connected

to

the

neighborhood.

“It’s

unusual—not

just

in

Tokyo,

but

in

urban

centersworldwide—to

pair

high-end

housing

and

retail

with

publicopen

space,”

says

Hanson.

“To

be

frank,”

he

adds,

“Roppongiisn’t

the

most

wholesome

place,

though

on

the

whole,

Tokyois

a

relatively

safe

city.

Roppongi

has

an

abundant

nightlife:clubs,

bars,

and

entertainment.

Mitsui

Fudosan

really

wantedus

to

consider

the

safety

and

comfort

of

the

project’s

residents,workers,

and

visitors,

as

well

as

the

safety

and

comfort

of

resi-dents

in

the

surrounding

area.

The

character

of

Roppongi

itselfis

changing,

and

this

project

is

part

of

that

change.”

As

soon

as

Mitsui

Fudosan

purchased

the

land,

thedevelopment

company

opened

an

office

to

coordinate

andhost

community

involvement.

Some

300

residents

attendedthe

kickoff

meeting,

and,

according

to

Hanson,

continued

tomake

their

voices

heard

at

subsequent

meetings.

Localswere

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

aplan

similar

to

that

employed

by

New

York

City’s

RockefellerCenter:

the

use

of

abundant

nighttime

lighting,

security

cam-eras,

and

on-site

staff.

This

team

of

“concierges,”

as

staffmembers

are

known,

will

be

on

call

to

assist

visitors

andresidents

with

directions

and

information,

and

will

also

actas

de

facto

security

guards.

With

this

investment

in

security;

transportation

infrastruc-ture;

and

the

site’s

open

space,

office,

and

retail

components—a

total

of

6

million

square

feet

(557,418

sq

m),

constructed

ata

cost

of

approximately

$3.1

billion

(

€

2,350,526,863)—MitsuiFudosan

is

anticipating

more

than

75,000

people

to

passthrough

the

site

every

day

and

more

than

25

million

per

year.Some

of

these

visitors

will

picnic,

attend

programmed

eventson

Tokyo

Midtown’s

great

lawn,

or

stroll

along

the

water

fea-tures.

Others

may

visit

the

Suntory

Museum

of

Art

or

the

21_21DESIGN

SIGHT

facility,

where

designers,

corporations,

crafts-people,

and

engineers

will

be

able

to

meet

to

research

design.Associated

development

within

the

property

is

expected

tospur

further

investment

surrounding

the

new

park

that

will

con-tribute

to

the

site’s

balance

of

work,

life,

and

entertainment.

Although

privately

owned

and

developed,

Tokyo

Midtownestablishes

a

series

of

safe

and

comfortable

public

openspaces—an

urban

oasis

that

is

expected

to

contribute

sig-nificantly

to

the

quality

of

life

for

Tokyo’s

residents.

ULTO

D

D

KO

H

L

Iis

a

senior

landscape

architect

and

associate

with

EDAW,Inc.,

a

planning

and

design

firm.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

anadvocate

for

urbanism

throughout

the

world,

a

lover

ofJapanese

culture,

and

the

author’s

mentor

and

friend.

APRIL

2007F

o

u

n

d

i

n

Tr

a

n

s

l

a

t

i

o

nA

network

of

pedestrianpathways

creates

linkagesthroughout

the

entireproject,

including

itscanopied,

tree-filled

plaza.?

EDAW/STEVE

HANSON?

EDAW/TODD

KOHLIPUBLICATIONSEDAW

INC

DESIGN,

PLANNING

AND

ENVIRONMENTS

WORLDWIDEURBAN

LAND,

“BUILDING

A

NEW

TOKYO”,

JULY

2007PUBLICATIONSEDAW

INC

DESIGN,

PLANNING

AND

ENVIRONMENTS

WORLDWIDEPUBLICATIONSEDAW

INC

DESIGN,

PLANNING

AND

ENVIRONMENTS

WORLDWIDEPUBLICATIONSEDAW

INC

DESIGN,

PLANNING

AND

ENVIRONMENTS

WORLDWIDEPUBLICATIONSEDAW

INC

DESIGN,

PLANNING

AND

ENVIRONMENTS

WORLDWIDEPUBLICATIONSEDAW

INC

DESIGN,

PLANNING

A