TLEEDESIGN

My last post of this Japan series, Pete’s ultimate search for the flat plaza. Saitama Sky Forest Plaza, PWP

I last visited Japan 10 years ago. Sharing some special pics of truly memorable works of architecture and design from my Visual Journal Tokyo (see link in bio).

For a plaza located in a new sub-center of the Greater Tokyo Area, OHTORI, PWWJ (Peter Walker William Johnson Partners), and NTT Urban Development Company created a design that metaphorically borrows a square of forest from the nearby Hikawa Shrine and places it on top of a shopping center to create a green roof that connects people to adjacent buildings, an arena, and the train station.

The absolutely flat plaza sits above a continuous 1.5 meters of specially designed soil and a custom-designed structural-support system in which 220 matched Zelkova trees are planted. The trees align with the structural grid of the building below. Rainwater infiltrates the plaza through metal grating, down to the earth layer, where it is collected and drained. The expansive soil volume encourages root growth, which make the trees more stable, although the necessarily sandy nature of the constructed soil provided less support than soil on the ground would have. To alleviate this problem OHTORI Consultants developed a subsurface mechanical system that allows the trees to withstand typhoon winds.

National Art Center, Tokyo by Kisho Kurokawa Architects & Associates.

I last visited Japan 10 years ago. Sharing some special pics of truly memorable works of architecture and design from my Visual Journal Tokyo (see link in bio).

The National Art Center, Tokyo is the art exhibition facility designed especially for both special exhibitions organized by curators and exhibitions presented by artist associations. The building is designed for the efficient delivery and removal of works of art, making it possible to carry on several exhibitions at the same time. The entrance lobby atrium features 21.6 meters high-ceiling and the undulated glass façade. The energy-saving design cuts out solar heat and ultraviolet rays, and the building has a symbiotic relationship with the surrounding areas.

My favourite green roof of all time - Keio University Green Roof by Michel Desvigne. I last visited Japan 10 years ago. Sharing some special pics of truly memorable works of architecture and design from my Visual Journal Tokyo (see link in bio).

On the rooftop of a new building of Keio University of Tokyo, Michel Designe was asked to create a contemporary garden which could preserve the spirit of the (disappeared) garden imagined on this site by the famous Japanese sculptor Isamu Noguchi. Taking up the idea of “representations of nature” that Noguchi used to associate to modern plastic art, Michel Designe based his work on the transposition of an aerial image of a small river. The scale was carefully chosen to be very close to the spaces conceived by the sculptor.

It was around this time 10yrs ago I last visited Japan. I wanted to share some special pics of truly memorable works of architecture and design from my Visual Journal Tokyo (see link in bio). Tokyo Forum, Rafael Vinoly.

The Tokyo International Forum is a civic complex on a 6.7 acre site that accommodates dance, musical and theatrical performances, conventions and trade shows, business meetings, and receptions. Commissioned by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the Forum is a prime venue for global events and cultural exchange. Four subway lines and two of the most heavily-used train stations, Tokyo Station and Yurakucho Station, are located to the north and south of the site, generating significant pedestrian traffic in the area. The intent of the design was to create a precinct fully accessible to the public and protected from the impacts of the surroundings. A granite perimeter wall encloses a landscaped urban plaza that extends under four major performing arts spaces suspended above and aligning in diminishing volume along the western edge of the site. The theater lobbies afford continuous views of the plaza below which serves as civic space for multiple public uses.

It was around this time 10yrs ago I last visited Japan. I wanted to share some special pics of truly memorable works of architecture and design from my Visual Journal Tokyo (see link in bio). Osanbashi International Terminal (Foreign Office Architects), Yokohama.

To meet modern demands, Ōsanbashi Pier was reconstructed between 1988 and 2002. The newly reconstructed passenger terminal is named the Yokohama International Passenger Terminal, designed by Foreign Office Architects (Alejandro Zaera-Polo and Farshid Moussavi), the pier was the subject of a major international design competition attracting over 660 entries. The new pier can accommodate up to four 30,000-ton class ships or two 70,000-ton class ships at the same time. The departure/arrival lobby, ticketing booth, customs, immigration, large multipurpose hall, shops and cafe are all on the 2nd floor of this terminal. There is a parking facility on the 1st floor, and an extensive, gently curving observation deck with planted grass areas, open to the public on the rooftop.

It was around this time 10yrs ago I last visited Japan. I wanted to share some special pics of truly memorable works architecture and design from my Visual Journal Tokyo (see link in bio), starting with Tadao Ando…

1. 21_21 Design Sight at Tokyo Mid-town
2. 21_21 Design Sight at Tokyo Mid-town
3. 21_21 Design Sight at Tokyo Mid-town
4. Collezione in Omotesando
5. Collezione in Omotesando
6. Kaminoge Station
7. Kaminoge Station
8. Kaminoge Station
9. Omotesando Hills
10. Omotesando Hills

TO light show

This place, never gets old…

Currently obsessed with this stuff

Details details details. The big idea can only go so far. It’s the little things that will make the vision come alive…

1. Translucent cushions of strong lightweight Teflon-based polymer called ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) at The Shed by
2. Copper cladded The Vessel by
3. Fan-shaped pavers at Manhattan West Plaza by
4. Dating back to 1840, Meatpacking District at West 14th and Washington
5. Tulip shaped concrete piers at Little Island by
6. Gateway through the ice-fountain stone wall at Teardrop Park by .inc
7. From the rugged Irish landscape to LED lit wall that bears the name, Irish Hunger Memorial by
8. Beautiful fenestration at 7 World Trade Center by
9. 350ft arches of steel ribs at The Oculus by
10. Water source from beneath the names at the memorial pool waterfalls at National September 11 Memorial by and

Always designing buildings with the landscape, Frank Lloyd Wright‘s Marin County Civic Center another prime example of this genius. Groundbreaking for the Civic Center Administration Building took place in 1960, after Wright’s death and under the watch of Wright’s protégé, Aaron Green; it was completed in 1962. The Hall of Justice was begun in 1966 and completed in 1969. Veterans Memorial Auditorium opened in 1971, and the Exhibit Hall opened in 1976.

When on campus, you’re bound to run into something fantastic. ‘s beautifully executed Innovative Genomics Institute Building just happened to appear.

WTC at night, very late at night.

The memorial, designed collaboratively by artist , landscape architect Gail Wittwer-Laird, and architecture firm , is a landscape with stones, soil, and native vegetation transported from the western coast of Ireland — with stones from every Irish county. Literally a piece of home brought to the new world.

The organic and voluptuous planters by in Manhattan West Plaza is out of this world gorgeous. Connecting 6 new towers (4 of which by ) to Hudson Yards, the Highline, and the Moynihan Train Hall, the plaza offers connectivity with Gaudi-esque forms.

The oxymoron “Little Island”, by and is not so little when you consider the controversy it created around itself. The privately owned and operated, publicly-accessible park is sure to impress with its well planned gathering spaces, intimate gardens, undulating paths, vistas onto the Hudson and Jersey, fully equipped for outdoor performance amphitheater, interactive play elements, and everything you can possibly ask for with a modern park. But what’s most eye-catching is no doubt the massive tulip-like concrete foundations that make the island possible. So why is it that I don’t find it all that impressive? A wonderful high school English teacher told me once after I drone on with an awful 500+ word essay, all in rhyme, “perhaps the art got in the way of your art…” Can it be that too much of a good thing is sometimes too much?

And what a treat it was to visit ‘s workshop, and to see your original hand drawings of Cumberland Park! (Aka Yorkville Park). Ken, congrats on your incredible achievements, Ohio State is lucky to be housing your treasure…

Although the buildings are undeniably impressive, it must be said that it’s the landscape that makes Hudson Yards memorable. The intricate paving pattern is a full-bleed from building to building. Vehicular lanes happen to run through the space while the landscape design takes priority. As a fine example of the woonerf, pedestrians flow through the space freely as the monuments to architectural hubris rise…

Teardrop Park by .inc is the perfect precedence for so many of our residential development projects in Toronto. Yes, density is going up, we have housing problems, let’s build smart, and build publicly accessible green space for all to enjoy.

This place, still incredibly powerful. When the landscape design meets the emotional needs of its people, you have something that’s beyond anything tangible. It just hits you inside. That’s what you get when it’s done right, when done by a master of his craft.

In the latest publication of Ground, Issue 64, Winter 2023, I wrote about the importance of design in the brave new world of AI. Although machines and technology have always been our human destiny and detriment, one thing remains. Humans are still at the heart of innovation. Simply said, if our design work can be done and replicated by AI, we as the design community are not doing our job. There has been brilliant moments in our long landscape architectural history. Innovation and creativity must continue…

20 years ago today, marks the passing of Daniel Urban Kiley. As anyone in our field can imagine, it was a dream job to have worked for Dan. And particularly as my first job, it was as much an honour as it was daunting to have worked side by side with the master. But my memory will always be filled with laughter, dry wit, and impeccable design sense. I will always cherish my years in the barn house, my gratitude to the entire Kiley family, and my colleagues: Peter Morrow Meyer, Jane Amidon, Nanda Patel, Joaquin Kiley who made it a truly fantastical experience. Also, thanks to The Cultural Landscape Foundation for keeping Dan’s work alive and in exhibition halls. The Brooklyn edition is on now (11yrs and still going)... https://lnkd.in/gRqrwczT

In their typical style, delivers another amazingly unique facade treatment for this important historic site, the first police headquarters for Hong Kong turned historic / cultural center. For HK, culture means shopping and restaurants. Incredibly beautiful concrete work…

Night time is the real Hong Kong time, a photogenic skyline, the latest from Tsim Sha Tsui with K11 by , and Bruce

West Kowloon at night, from Highspeed Rail Train Station to Xiqu Centre…
for landscape of highspeed rail station plaza. Blast from the Past!

10 pictures are not enough for this place. M+ is extraordinary, if not monumental. It’s as if brought the scale of Tate and built their own version in the blank slate of West Kowloon.

ICC (International Commerce Centre), another super tall by sits in the prominent southwest corner I’d the Elements development together with multiple residential mixed use with an underground shopping plaza. Note the number of skylight pavilions on the ground floor landscape plaza enabling natural light to subterranean floors below.

A lovely neighbourhood park is where you’ll find some traditional Chinese garden design at work and well maintained by

The Brise Soleil was open and it was magnificent…