The Hidden Tokyo Design Studio / Elective RMIT / Adelaide / Tokyo Universities 2009
The Hidden Tokyo
The Hidden Tokyo
Joint Elective/ Study Tour/ Design Studio / Experiment Hiroshi Ota The University of Tokyo Institute of Industrial Science Heike Rahmann The University of Adelaide School of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Urban Design Marieluise Jonas RMIT University School of Architecture and Design, Landscape Architecture December 2009
Tokyo. A magical, surreal place from the future - the city of immediate simultaneousness, a conglomeration of profanity, the proverbial city of chaos, Blade Runner and Metabolism. Tokyo. The modern, vast, faceless metropolis with few green spaces, towering highways and flashing neon lights- shaped by desires, deep from the dark reaches of modernity. Tokyo. “Chaotic and lacking in artistic coordination as well as clear identity” still offering a “hidden order” that exposes its genuine quality and identity. (Ashihara) Still - not as much a territory or a place as it is a promise, a potential, built on ethics of respect for the hybrid spaces of identities. The promise that offers the chance to “glimpse our own hybridity, our own contingency.” (Tajbakhsh) Exploring the hidden offers a chance to glimpse the hybrid identities of Tokyo between tropes of utopia and distopia, self and other, chaos and order. Penetrating the surface, discover the possibilities of other. What lies beneath? How is it found?
Team no name Hilal Al-Busaidi Anthony Sharples Chloe Edwards Eva Krope Anna Malapira
Team Ichiban Carmen Du Rhys Vincent James Hurley Kenneth Nichols
Team Supermegabeam Alice Hooi Gie Kate DeKok Biddy Adams Stuart Beekmeyer Danny Brookes
Team Sake Will Morris Stephanie Ryan Lily Mackenzie Zac Lee
Team Balls Benjamin Fleming Nina Orkina Enoch Liew Josie Alvaro Joel Beer
The hidden Tokyo Focussing on different physical and cultural expressions of spatial production and the various layers of urban identity through design exploration was the ambition of the hidden Tokyo design studio and design elective. Students of RMIT University and Adelaide University Landscape architecture Programs critically engaged with environmental and cultural sustainability in the dichotomy of self and other, density and openness, chaos and order, innovation and tradition. The hidden Tokyo included activities in Japan such as study tours mapping, recording, explorative experiments and design tasks through workshop and field work. The design elective was conducted as collaboration between RMIT University and the University of Adelaide in cooperation with Associate Prof. Hiroshi OTA and a team of tutors of the University of Tokyo in November 2009.
Conceptual design research approach All exploratory design tasks are sequenced in a simple, experimental plug-in principle. The sequence ABCDE stands for simple, modular exploration of different techniques that can inform design on a given site. To work with the complexities of Tokyo this system is employed to test the focus on a task with not relating it to site immediately. The reaction and overlaps in-between the individual foci is tested in the final stage in plugging the individual tasks into a given site. Tasks ABC were tested in Adelaide and Melbourne before departure and gave insight to the usefulness of the design research strategy in a complex environment.
TASK A SITE
What is SITE? What makes SITE? What is it for you? How can you work with different models and ideas of SITE in a team? How do you capture SITE? Create -as a group- a multi-information base map that can be used for further exploratory tasks. Use material and notes collected during the site visit and develop these further into a layered map. Consider the medium you might want to work with, which is most suitable for transfer? Site: Odaiba
Rainbow Bridge
Daiba “台場” Telecom Centre Visual corridor with prominent architecture at both ends.
The landscape elements in this area between the Telecom Centre and our chosen site are considerate of its surroundings This is the current chosen site that has been designed without thought of its surroundings. The visual diagram to the right is showing the current landscape in between the Telecom Centre and the site. The landscape either leaves a gap to frame the architecture or has elements that are centred vocal points with the architecture framing the landscape.
The chosen site is nestled in amongst the largely prominent architecture of Daiba. On both the long edges of the site, the architecture is approximately 30-35 metres high producing an enclosed feeling. There is a visual corridor through the site that leads to two major architectural features within Daiba: - the Telecom Centre and the Rainbow Bridge. The current site does not compliment its context but the analysis can of this can inform design. Ben Fleming
My personal definition developed in the prelude stage of the studio was: Everything that surrounds. We then came together to compare how different team members differed in their approach. How were we going to fill the gaps to capture a comprehensive SITE analysis? The prelude workshop gave us an opportunity to practice this task. What we took for granted at the time was the prelude site, Hughes Plaza at Adelaide University, was a site that we already knew very well. Having walked through it hundreds of times before there was not much that was still ‘hidden’ to us. The task of capturing this site was much easier than capturing a site in Tokyo (the ‘other’) where we had never been before. Odaiba, an artificial island located within Tokyo Bay was the area in which our chosen site had to be located. Our team selected a site at the end of an esplanade close to the waters edge and one of the very few beaches in Tokyo. Our selected site was chosen as it was not a ‘blank canvas’ which we considered the suggested car park site to be. We wanted a challenge when incorporating the other tasks. Rhys Vincent
What makes SITE ? The site had stunning views of central - Tokyo across the bay, especially at night. We felt this site was underutilized at present - an ideal site for our experimental intervention. In hindsight our selected site which spread over multiple levels was a frustrating yet achievable challenge. We were lucky in that each team member has subtly different approaches into collecting SITE, however discovering the ‘hidden’ in just a few hours was a challenge. We took quite a long time in actually deciding on a site, so by the time it came down to collecting information it was late afternoon. Whilst it became difficult to take information rich photographs we were able to experience the site at night, and a flat camera battery enabled me to absorb and view the site for real instead of mostly through a camera lens. The outcome was a multi-information base map consisting of photographs, panoramas, sketches, noise and pedestrian movement data. All useful in completing further tasks.
task A :
SITE : an approach to capturing site Task A involved analysing a given site through various methods and bringing these discrepant analyses together to result in a cohesive site analysis.
It is essential to understand the concept of what is a site when trying to capture its meaning. Through this understanding it was possible to uncover the hidden layers of the site on the artificial island Odaiba, Tokyo. “The site is space and material: Form, place and understanding make the site.” (Habraken, 1982, p4.) This functional approach considers the site as a “spatial reality and its physical entity” or in other words “the physical context of human activities”1 . However, the site cannot be fully grasped when considered purely functionally and existentially. As argued by Li in “Meaning of the site”, its significance runs much deeper and bears meaning through its elements of nature, culture, science, economy and the metaphysical. The “site” is being transformed through time by the cultural and historical changes and is conditioned by the community which also draws its identity from it. Therefore, the concept of a “site” is complex and its representation offers many different possibilities which depend on the nature of the particular object and subject. As a result, a site cannot express a singular truth. There are multiple truths about any site which can be articulated on different scales and from different subject views. The first encounter with the particular site on Odaiba is superficial. One is aware of its immediate spatial reality and its quantitative and qualitative qualities. The selected site operates on three different levels that channel the movement within the site and connect it with the city. Yet only when looking beyond the obvious attributes of the site it is possible to uncover what lies beneath - the hidden meaning. The fact that the island itself is a landfill can also be viewed as a remainder of a consumerist society in which everything is disposable. Ironically, most developments on Odaiba have been intended to further stimulate consumption. This underlying tension connects conne the Odaiba area with the broader context of Tokyo. From knowing the tangible and intangible aspects of the site we can understand its significance and meaning on different levels. The understanding of the selected site on Odaiba is a base for generation of creative problem solving and design.
Eva Krope
The first (and perhaps most important) task was to get our heads around the questions raised by this site analysis. What is site? What makes site? What is it for you? How do you capture site? For each team member, the answers varied. After some discussion, the way our team decided to approach this task was to analyse the site at the same time so as to have corresponding impressions, but to analyse the site individually, and to come together afterwards and bring our analyses together. Three styles of analysis emerged: observation, detailed analysis, emotional mapping. The observation style saw team members approach the site from the outside, viewing
from a distance. This method ated with the site. This style helped to map the site in re- of site analysis helped to map lation to sites surrounding the user experience within and interacting with it, estab- and interacting with the site. lishing boundaries and idenTo combine these varying tifying influences on the site. analyses, our The detailed analysis involved mapgroup disobservation, cussed in detail ping details detailed analysis, the philosoof the site emotional mapping phies behind such as materials, orientation, use, site each method and how these character and dimensions. philosophies relate and inThis method was instrumen- tegrate with one another, to tal in mapping the physical get the basis for our graphiaspects of the site and its cal site analysis. We comfunction in the greater area. bined our observed, detailed Emotional mapping was and emotional analyses and harder to capture graphi- produced an overall analysis, cally, as it involved a personal which captured what the site analysis of the sights, sounds, was to us as a group. smells and emotions associ-
Katherine deKok
SITE
CONNECTION
LAYERS
Before starting “the hidden Tokyo” studio, Site was an imaginative space somewhere in the city of Tokyo. It was a tiny space sitting between skyscrapers or any dense cluster of buildings. That space was filled with physical context because Tokyo, as a city, is filled with context. All of these imaginative outcomes were a result of stories told and information gained about Tokyo. During the prelude workshop held in Adelaide, Site was still an imaginative space but options were limited to Odaiba in Tokyo. Information regarding Odaiba indicated that it had many vacant spaces scattered almost everywhere. Visiting site in Odaiba changed imagination into reality. Large footprints, less physical context, wide pathways, undefined boundaries, and plainness were unpleasant reality of site. It was essential to select an interesting site for the project in Odaiba. There were many spaces that could be developed. There are spaces between Fuji TV building and Grand Pacific La Daiba on the southern side and between Aqua City Daiba and Hotel Nikko Tokyo on the northern side. These spaces are connected through a large footbridge. An obvious feature about the site is the footbridges’ horizontal connection, but the most interesting feature about it is the vertical layers it includes. At first, site was just the footbridge but it was realized quickly that site could include vertical existing elements: the street below the footbridge and the sky train above it. There is a lack of good circulation horizontally and vertically. The footbridge was created to be a connection between the spaces from one side to another. It was not designed to be there, it was just placed there.
Hilal Al -Busaidi
TASK B
MAPPING CONTRADICTIONS
What are the contradictions, the forces, and emotions of a space? What are the facades and insides of Ginza revealing to the careful observer? How does the space influence perception and emotions, and how in return is the space influenced by one’s presence? How could this be considered in mapping technique?
IMAGE vs. VALUE In contemporary society, appearances are often associated with assumptions about the inner function of a space. The famous streets of Ginza demand attention due to the high profile stores, flaunting such brands as Prada and Apple. The streets are pedantically clean, well lit and rather noisy. These stores and streets are highly populated and provide income to the Japanese economy. Turn a corner, follow the bend and enter a hidden alleyway. The alleys are extremely narrow and are almost hidden to the public. Suddenly, there is no noise, it’s difficult to see, the ground is littered with trash and there are no people. At first glance, it is easy to conclude that the high-profile streets and stores are more valuable than the alleyways. However, while walking down the alleyways, there are many doorways with nearby umbrellas, pot plants, bicycles, coat hangers, buckets of oil and rubbish – all signs of a domestic life. These alleyways contain people’s homes and entries to small business buildings. If a high-profile store was demolished, would this really have any significant impact on anyone or on Tokyo? Retail stores are a façade that can be removed and replaced with little objection. On the other hand, if an alleyway is filled-in, people’s homes are destroyed and the resulting impact is significant. The model represents the contradiction of image vs value. The top of the model represents the popular streets with aesthetically pleasing façades but behind the façades are regular buildings that are relying on alleys to hide the powerlines, air-conditioning units etc. In the model, the alleyways are hidden underneath the street stores. The toothpicks represent the numerous doors to houses and businesses. The toothpicks poke through to the surface but are mostly hidden. When a street façade is removed, the toothpicks poke through further and more of Japan’s traditional culture is revealed. The gold ribbon depicts the true value of Japan’s streets as it travels along the alleys. Alleyways show more of Japanese character and although they may not appear to be important, their value is far greater than any retail store. James Hurley
Ginza, a high class and well organised district in Tokyo.
The Hidden of Tokyo, Ginza, the laneway, Tekkonkinkreet. It is a public space but it is a private space as well. Although it is small and intimate but inside it is full of essence. Laneway full of pipes and wires. It is actually more lively than outside the building and road of Ginza. Besides, it contents some traditional culture in it, the temple. When walking in it, this laneway is a restaurant kitchen space,too. Other than that, it can access into a well design high class restaurant with a secret door at the laneway. Which mean when looking at the outside of Ginza building, it is actually contains a small private open space in it.
Elise, Wan Tien, Foo
Modelling Contradictions There are stark contradictions to Ginza’s spaces if you are prepared to be bold. Secreted between the polished and pristine façades of the exclusive designer buildings are slivers of raw public space. Lanes and alleys are squeezed to the brink of existence between monoliths of private enterprise. Intrepidly grasping the right to inhabit public space by delving between the buildings offers some remarkable experiences. Fragments of public space hold evidence of frequent human appropriation; bicycles, pots, pans, newspapers, cables, crates, shoes. In modelling the dynamism and paradox of Ginza using a book, we applied the same techniques we had used to explore the spaces themselves: we dug. As a book’s pages contain many secrets and surprises, so too do the hidden spaces of Ginza. By totally immersing ourselves in Ginza, we were able to appreciate the incongruence in the cityscape and experience the peculiar equilibrium that has occurred in this contradictory space.
Biddy Adams
In your team, develop an approach to express topography and the horizontal layers of a site. Consider the iceberg like qualities of Melbourne Central, Hughes Plaza or Tokyo’s underground stormwater system. What is a good strategy to capture the qualities of the hidden vastness underground?
TASK C
DISSECTING THE CITY
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DISSECTING THE CITY
In the city you would it a very complex and dense system with layer upon layer of subways, sewerage piping and infrastructure holdings with roads and buildings above ground at all different heights and positions.
The hidden and the visible could be seen as the underground and the above ground. This is what the Tokyo underground stormwater system can give you an insight to. But, I don’t think it really shows the true complex and dense qualities of what could been seen within the city. This area of the underground water system creates an openness and different experience with the use of the horizontal and the vertical elements being outside the city. It brought beautiful long and high views of the site with just two major layers of along the underground system and above ground on the grass of the soccer pitch.
So what if there was this kind of space of the underground system within the complexity and density of the city? Joel Beer
The aim for Dissecting the City was to represent and express a site through the horizontal layers and underground conditions which were present. It was interesting attempting this task at Tokyo’s underground storm water facility, as the area (which seemed quite abandoned) had an enormous underground
cavity which was very beautiful. The sheer scale and mechanics of this hidden system was quite amazing. I not only aimed to show this underground cavity but also to show actual storm water system underneath the city. The system itself is comparable to an organ in the human body in the way it curved undergound, connected up, and served a complete purpose; to stop the city flood ing
.
Anthony Sharples
TASK D EDGE
On the excursion to the Yokohama waterfront precinct, explore and document how you see and understand EDGE. Defining the boundaries of a site and its connections to surrounding: how is a project linked, embedded in city and infrastructure? How do links inform a project and its structure?
EDGE
Daniel Brookes
The task encouraged us to consider the site boundaries of the Portside Garden, an open and somewhat eerie space which sits abandoned on the busy Yokohama waterfront - not far out of Tokyo. We were questioned about where we consider the ‘edge’; the ‘end’ of the garden and the ‘beginning’ of the neighbouring sites. For some students, it was defined by the balustrade, the retaining walls and the paving changes. For others, it was simply a matter of disregarding the notion of boundaries altogether. They argued that if a fence stops a person from jumping into a river, what stops them from climbing over the fence? As such, the fence is pointless because it stops no one and does not mark the end of anything. I see the idea of boundaries as a combination of both of these ideas; the tangible and intangible. In my mind, boundaries are formed by visual or physical barriers, as well as social and cultural cues.
“The model highlights the tension between the enclosed and openness of neighbouring sites”
In terms of the Portside Garden, the space is largely an open, paved courtyard, walled in with raw concrete. Level changes between the pedestrian walkway above, and the garden below, emphasise a physical separation of space, as do the enclosing concrete walls and terraced levels. But in the distance, the garden reaches out towards the horizon, trying desperately to fool the viewer into thinking it stretches on forever. It becomes a continuous plane of paving that merges seamlessly into the pristine concrete cityscape. The model explores this tension between the enclosed and the open. The use of red cotton represents traffic density across the site. The starkness of the main garden space (in white) is contrasted against the densely configured, dark, raw space (like the subway systems, for instance) which it screens off. The model highlights the tension between the enclosed and openness of neighbouring sites, and the effect that physical, impermeable screens have on these.
The phycological edge of design tourism The Hidden Tokyo was one part design, one part analysis and one part design tourism and like anything worth doing the experience supplied good times and not so good times. This excersise looks at the phycological edge of the site visit as a walk around the highs and lows of Yokohama port ferry terminal. This information is then abstracted to a section which explores the relationship between moods and events scheduled during The Hidden Tokyo Experience.
There ar an edg e often misc o e define . Our group nceptions a bout t de a he defi mater n edge. The cided that nit iali th d that ac sm. Not all ifferences ca e physical d ion of e ifferen n be e cumula dges a ce it tempo r rary ed ted against e permanen her function s the riv ge. erban t forms. The or What k is an t is examp rash archite often notice le of a able in ct or la bound a large ndsca pe a s At the ry of the site architect p ite is the de laces. tailing Yokoh is t h e In s a the mo water’s m edge. a Portside t st evident a maller sites he cle and th the People n d pron are e w the se views. What ere genera st edge see ounced. ating, ll n w y draw was th as sec paving and ve ondary was n to the wat e A 3D m e rtical e the de odel c lemen tailing r o vertica ts. in l and h nveying the v orizon panor arious am ta bound ic image w l panoramic edges comp as use ary. At o d to co images. A 3 sed of tentio by the 60 nw nv v eleme ertical pano as drawn to ey the ‘oute degree nt r’ ra t Edges mimics the mic images he landscap site .T ca su e manip n manipula rrounding he vertical p details buildin ulation te our anoram b g to hig hlight into a 3D fo ehaviour. To of the site. ic rm, co the pe mode tton st transmit th des ls e rings w types howcased a trian move ere us m of edg ll the v ed es pre arious ent. The the Yo s ent at ko Portsid hama e.
1.0 Arrive :[ 1.1 Bad Katsu don :< 2.0 Asakusa :> 2.1 Tokyo River Ferry :[ 2.2 Odiaba :< 3.0 Ginza :< 3.1 Crit 1 :[
4.0 Train to country :>:> 4.1 Underground shrine :[ 4.2 Yoyogi detention center :<:<
7.0 Tsukishima :> 7.1 Tokyo dome:[ 7.2 Girl Talk jazz bar 2:>
5.0 Tsukiji fish markets :>:>:> 5.1 Harbour ferry ride:> 5.2 Yokohama PFT:> 5.3 Girl Talk jazz bar 1:>
8.0 Work stress :< 8.1 Presentation :[ 8.2 Shibuya :<:<:<
KEY :> Good mood :< Bad mood :[ Indifferent mood
9.0 Osaka/ Kyoto :>:>:>:>:>:>
6.0 Naito visit :> 6.1 Yakatori shinjiku :>
KEY mood goes up mood goes down
2.1
2.0
1.0
9.0
1.1
4.0
3.1
4.1
3.0
8.0 8.1 2.2 7.0 6.1 6.0 4.2 8.2 7.2 7.1 5.3 5.2 5.0 5.1
Stuart Beekmeyer
1. Sun
2. Mon
3. Tue
4. Wed
5. Thu
6. Fri
7. Sat
8. Sun
9. Mon Mood on arrival
EDGE
Jian-Hui Lee (Zac)
Edge a separation between objects, spaces, experiences, is how edge was defined for myself before this task. Through this task I discovered that edge can be much more than just a boundary or a difference between materials. Edge could be an experience, a direction, a connection, a limiter. At Port Side park the edge created the experience. A path enjoying the mounds then abruptly hitting a edge. It disorients you and causes you to look for a new path. The edge limits your experience yet at the same time it cause you to find a new experience. This was captured through video. This experience with the edge can be likened to the experience of this trip. Exploring one site, hitting a realization then reorientating my perceptions of the space and ideas, then following a new path. Alternatively the Yokohama ferry terminal used edge differently. Edge prevented play. The grass and slopes on site were inaccessible through mental boundaries. The site through its edges created a viewing platform of the city and waterfront. Edge in a sense is what you come to see in Yokohama. Edge can be used as a tool to help create the experience of the site. In Japanese there is no one word for edge there are over 20 different ways to write or say edge. Similarly there is no one way to define edge or its use. Zac Lee
focusing on view through edge The creation of a barrier edge preventing play.
TASK E
(un) FOLDING SPACE
In Tsukishima, appropriation shapes space. In Hamarinkyu, striking contrasts between new and old, dense and open, mass and void can be observed. Shiodome presents a modern counterpart to the appropriation forces of Tsukishima. Compare and contrast the forces and desires observed in spaces in Tuskishima, Hamarinkyu and Shiodome through modelling technique using paper (Origami) 2D and 3D.
(un) FO FOLDING O OLD SP SPACE_‘the the HIDDEN’ ‘OTHER’ The e a aim of (u (un) FOLDING SPACE PA was to compare and nd contrast ntras s the forces and de st desires esires obse observed bse e in Tsukishima, Ts sukis Ham Hamarinkyu and Shiodome. ome Aiming m to compare the infi finit nite contr contrasts between etwe the binaries n new and old, ne d dense nsse and open, op pe mass and void v through rou the medium e of origami.i Using U this traditional o Japanese Ja ne modeling od d technique e should s reveal al and an nd create ate a multitude multtit de of mappings m s inspired sp pired by observed o forces an and de desires.
In Tsukishima, a appropriation propriation o sh shapes sspace. ace The traditionalist nature ature of Tsukishim Tsukishima suk off offers ers a striking er contrast form m the rest st o off modern Tokyo. Toky Tok k The idea of the hybrid rid landscape is portrayed throughout thro roughout the t town. Confl Con nflicting ideas nfl ide o of public pu and private, riv dense nse and an d op open can be sseen en with wit within the space. e. Seen through hro ou both oth tthe e tr traditionall p planning g of op open en space living an and the self-appropriation th elf-a pro at on of the sp space e by its residents. s Through ro a rich abundance u of flowerpot gardens, e the self-appropriation fa n of space pace tests sts the ideass off public b a and private, t re resetting esett and extending ing pr private at boundaries. o da Arrays y of o plants nts varying g in shapes s and d sizes si s have been de delicately cultivated ed growing within tthe he formal rma landscape, andsca ape p blurring both h public u and private edges and db boundaries. es. Th Through the fur further rther explorati exploration ratiio or ‘un-folding’ folding off Tsukishima su un unique q forms of space p appropriation pp pro are revealed. rev ea d. E Empty pt glass milk bottles o ((refer to photo montage) onta ta age create ea defined private t boundaries, o whilst residents de love v for their gardens ns h help contribute to a unique un form fo of self-expression. ion These informal gardens ar s ac act both in form orm and funct functionality ti as traditional gardens a dens and the encouragement of their existence maintains m ai an enriching Japanese cultural asset.
Chloe Edwards
TASK ABCDE MADE IN TOKYO
Team Sake -Task ABCDE
When coming up with a final concept or a re-design in Odaiba, we made the decision of rather than trying to keep people within our particular site for an extended period of time we would instead concentrate more on making the journey through the site appealing by enhancing the senses. We believed this would be successful by creating a variable space that would intensify the sites dynamics through human movement, and seasonal lighting adding a sense of mystery. These new dynamics were to address the issues that the site was mainly an avenue for access to neighbouring buildings or city viewing and was hardly populated for any extended period of time. It offers little to no sensual stimulation and only gained life when it became night time and the surrounding lights were glowing.
The sense of discovery is something that we really wanted to channel and integrate into the Odaiba project. With the insertion of topography manipulation, movable objects within the space, and much like Tokyo, an ever changing site. The theme or discovery and mystery came from our visit to the city of Ginza where amongst the glossy designer shops there is an inner network of hidden laneways that can be found within the city. We saw these more traditional sections to be like the heart of Ginza that offer a real sense of excitement and achievement when discovered.
As people walk over a specific path the topography sinks along that path. as more people use that path the deeper the topography goes creating ridges and valleys. this resets after each day back to a flat plane to enable the ever changing landscape.
The undulating topography plugged into the Odaiba site would be seen in section as a complex yet simple system that offered a sense of transition through levels and different altitudes through motion and progression. When exploring Tokyoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s underground water system we became aware of the importance of exploring a section and the excitement that came with understanding layers and how the hidden elements of a site can often be the key in controlling progression and development.
The existence of edges are something that are simultaneously hidden, yet gradually generated by the ever changing topography of the site. As the paths become more frequented, these edges, or boundaries, gradually emerge to become more visible and prominent. They still, however, retain a gradual transition from flat to vertical planes. Such a concept was inspired by the seemingly hidden edges of materiality from a ground plane view at the Yokohama Waterfront Precinct.
TEAM analyzed an ar In Task A (SITE) ea in Odaiba fo of an esplanad we selected an r intervention. e close to the O d ur team selected waters edge an a site at the en We chose this d one of the ve d specific site as ry few beache it spread over s in Tokyo. multiple levels and we consid a benefit. It also ered this had stunning views over Toky Bay and was cu o rrently underu tilized, especially durin g the day. In mapping th e contradiction of image
ed of a uest infl odel consist to t a e r g e m g was th Task B tendin m that design. Our s of Ginza, in g of the r o f a BCDE e-way tandin created B), we ted into our A e unseen lan us an unders on the space k s a T ( e la th his has ich makes ) gave vs. valu directly trans ed through ffects t ( Task C e d y a e d it s, wh e h n r C t a h e t endles h easier to g th ence o and that e in y r t n k a c o o e s T b s rib uc arie Dis d s in golden ir true value. ing structure if the bound round it is m es. We wante g s t e g r a h w d o t ls e p lo show of sup e it often fee However be strucne the c owing . e scale rly defi massiv . On the surfa h vast spaces you can clea ain a light, fl etry of all it em uc en geom around to relate to s ge space wh us Task B to r lanned p d r r io n e la v a d a e r s its ha the pr ge mas lmed in sucerwhe we created in ion to the lar v o l on the em. e s e f e t g m ic r d d o e f a syst nd ontr bon aries a s, to a larger ervad the rib would be a c n . u e o it is it on s nding ce of b ur obs ture. Th portan to its surrou sign. From o were rround u s im e ld h u t e e o s c arnt of that w he spa e edge ails in d E) we le s. They link t through det ving, or activ chosen site, G D E ( e D d o r c ted ou e also experiIn Task eation of spa ical or implie found that m e selec s r y e c w av l h h w y u p f h k e s r e e peoy. W ces on w er b e Pa a s h id w a it s e h t e r t r a r to guid e n o e p t a P h c p y t a s s o m u e m n e Edg as a koha nd a b m, in an att ugh th . This w t the Yo r front a gs thro y plant in d n tions a re interesting ed the water ur ribbon fo fi n d o o d mpare the ma hey much m undaries inclu ving ‘edges’ in Space) we co d we found y. T bo g, an ing ging cit laced by al mo n in ld a ic g o s h F n y c which n a h r h p e p (u Task E yo is always c tant in an ev down and re ugh d with s mente d the site. In ro k d n o e o t T k c , . c E r ls o CD h de ula kn un ple aro f origami mo a were a mod e building is ign of task AB ked back to es lin on no im creatio d in Tsukash be moved as ed into the d d, which also t n e a u r ld v o o u o f co orp hm plots ed, and was inc ribbon whic belong er. This idea e h t . rley, s of mes Hu anoth ble’ sections f active edge a J , u D o n ‘porta her theme Carme Rhys Vincent our ot
MADE IN TOKYO : designed expression of the other After establishing the boundaries of the site we had chosen for task A, TSMB continued to investigate Tokyo through the lens of various exercises and found that though our methods were quite different, our group had a commonly cohesive view of the site and its opportunities for intervention. At Yokohama we considered the nature of boundaries and the condition of edge. In doing so it became understood that the nature of edge goes far beyond a physical condition. TSMB considered social edge, cultural edge, edge that separates insiders from outsiders and discussed themes such as human connection, separation, the individual and the team: themes that run deep through Japanese society. TSMB’s design for Odaiba seeks to blur these edges. Our underwater rooms juxtapose these edges together and reveals otherwise hidden qualities which as Tokyo. During the trip to Tsukishima, our group reflected on what the terms ‘public’ and private’ mean, especially in relation to one another. Is it possible to have public without private? Is it possible to have private without public? Where does the distinction lie? Footpaths in Tsukishima are often appropriated by residents and redefined as informal garden spaces. Although the space is technically public, there is a sense of ownership created by this action, blurring lines between public and private space.
The underground shrine provided our group with a different perspective on what the hidden can mean. Not only did it represent the physically hidden, but also the thinking and planning which remains unseen. The shrine is hidden underground, out of the sight and mind of most residents and visitors in Tokyo. It is however one of the most important features of Tokyo’s landscape. If this underground structure did not exist; the city which rises above the horizon would sink under millions of liters of water. It is this balance which we hoped to represent with our underwater rooms as part of our intervention. Tokyo is an overwhelming conglomeration of consumerism, density and stimulation, whereas our underwater interv ention seeks to provide space for the mind to grow, invent and relax. One side without the other would be pointless and unbalanced. We hope to provide balance between the seen and the unseen for visitors to the site. Our investigation of Ginza was strongly influential in shaping TSMB’s design philosophy. Exploring hidden laneways across the neighborhood allowed us to see the hidden side of Tokyo, the living heart beneath the surface and the city’s contradictions and inconsistencies. The glassy façades covering the buildings in Ginza were the inspiration behind having our site hidden underwater, with the real value invisible from the outside. Team Super Mega Beam : Biddy Adams, Danny Brookes, Stuart Beekmeyer Katherine deKok, Foo Hooi Gie
Efficient movement and circulation in Tokyo is essential to its success in productivity, both locally and internationally. The chosen site in Odaiba (a large artificial island developing as a major commercial, residential and leisure area) was symbolic to this as it consisted of three linkages – by road, by foot and by train. However, its lack of interest and definition together with its functionality and diverse users fell short of its high potential. Visiting and analysing Ginza (the commercial district) and its surroundings, tensions were felt between, modernism and tradition, past and present, sound and silence, compression and expansion, the known and the hidden. Modelling these into abstract forms gave us our initial concept of our proposal.
All the gained knowledge and experience from our site visits were then applied to our final proposal – aesthetics, connections, approaches, reason and purpose. This gave us the opportunity to create a true representation of Tokyo on a difficult yet prototypical site of the great metropolis.
Hilal Al-Busaidi, Anna Malapira, Eva Krope, Anthony Sharples, Chloe Edwards
Tokyo’s underground stormwater system was highly symbolic of the contradictions felt between the urban and the periphery of Tokyo. Silence, vastness, emptiness and anticipation were all felt approaching the site. However, the system’s beauty was revealed after a steep decent into the underground – a series of mountainous bollards (Tokyo’s skyscrapers), high maintenance and preservation (Tokyo’s etiquette towards cleanliness) and the advanced technology and engineering involved (Tokyo’s efficient circulatory system). This approach of wonder and awe was taken into consideration in our design. What defines edge? The importance of edges was analysed with a site visit to the Yokohama Portside Park. The ambiguity of the park’s parameters was felt due to the lack of boundaries and interest encouraging the public to explore further. Topographical edges such as the river, grass hills and surrounding infrastructure however clearly defined the initial edges. This taught us the valuable lesson of reason – the public will not explore edges if there is no clear interest or purpose – whether it’s finding a nice spot under a tree in summer, snapping beautiful photo shots of the landscape, enjoying company at an outdoor café or simply passing through on the way to work.
The Hidden Tokyo 2009
Hiroshi Ota, IIS University of Tokyo Heike Rahmann, University of Adelaide Marieluise Jonas, RMIT University Annie Huang, Fuji Laboratory, IIS University of Tokyo Takatoshi Arai, Fuji Laboratory, IIS University of Tokyo Masashi Uesugi, Fuji Laboratory, IIS University of Tokyo Hiroshi Naito, Naito Architects and Associates, Tokyo Yoshiyuki Kawazoe, Naito Laboratory, University of Tokyo Koizumi Atelier Yokohama Anna Malapira Anthony Sharples Biddy Adams Ben Fleming Carmen Du Chloe Edwards Daniel Brookes Eva Krope Enoch Liew Hilal Al Busaidi Hooi Gie (Alice) Foo James Hurley Josephine Alvaro Joel Beer Jian Hui (Zac) Lee Katherine Dekok Kenneth Nichols Lily Mackenzie Nina Orkina Rhys Vincent Stephanie Ryan Stuart Beekmeyer Wan Tien (Elise) Foo William Morris
Thank you! どうもありがとうごさいました！