YUTO MIYAZONO
Landscape for Ecosystem-based Adaptation 01
Landscape Design - Archicad
- Twinmotion
- QGIS
Stormwater retention reservoirs
This project aims to convert an ageing wholesale market into a retention pond as a countermeasure against heavy rainfall caused by typhoons, which have intensified due to climate change.
The process involves transforming the concrete-covered site into green infrastructure while incorporating an ecosystem services-based approach.
Nara has maintained the same land division through rice cultivation for 1,300 years. By proposing a new ecosystem-like place that connects to these historical land divisions, the project seeks to maintain the sustainability of the area.
DIPLOMA PROJECT / UTokyo
First prize / Undergraduate Graduation
Project, Department Best Award
YEAR: 2021
SITE: Nara, Japan
TYPE : Academic Work
SCALE: 35 ha
TEAM: Individual project
SUPV: Miyagi Shunsaku, Naoto Nakajima
Development of the water system in the Nara Basin 7km 7km 7km
2-11 C
Development of rivers along the topography
12-14 C
Development of an irrigation network for rice cultivation
15-19 C
Restoration
Land Formation
Construction of smallscale reservoirs through flood control projects ⓿ Current Situation
Circulation
Space Formation
Revegetation
Water Management
0 20 40 80m
National Ecosystem Service Centre
The Saho River, being the largest main stream of the Yamato River, experiences significant damage during heavy rainfall. By installing an overflow-type levee at the confluence of the rivers, the site will serve as a retention pond when the water level reaches a dangerous point. The building portion is renovated and becomes a facility for environmental monitoring of the Nara Basin, serving as a climate observatory for the Nara Institute of Science and Technology. Rooms are inserted through the large slab, creating a botanical garden, library, offices, restaurant, plant factory, and bookstore, with an herb and medicinal plant garden on the rooftop. In a separate building, accommodation for researchers is provided, also catering to the hosting of international researchers.
Solar energy utilization + Automatically controlled ventilation
Reduction of heat load through rooftop greening
Bike Path
Cafe
Recycled waste concrete
Office
Lecture room
Solar radiation control using louvers
Double-skin facade + Green blinds
Environmental monitoring using sensor poles
Toward Ecosystem-based Adaptation
Each architectural program is designed with ecosystem service adaptation in mind. The interest in ecosystems focuses not just on nature itself, but also on the cultural relationship between humans and nature that has persisted over time. For example, in the restaurant, management is conducted with the aim of reducing food mileage in the Nara Basin, while
also referencing traditional dietary habits. The site itself, as a reservoir, becomes a place where the recovery of the watershed ecosystem can be observed, and a conversion is carried out with an awareness of the scenic beauty overlooking the entire Nara Basin.
Condominium Restaurant + Vegetable Plant
Visitor Centre
Library + Botanical Garden
Cycling Track
Void Urbanism: Gardenizing City
Urban Masterplan + Tea House Garden - Field Survey
- Gardening -QGIS
Landscape for Sustainable Tourism
Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, is trying to change its direction from a tourism-dependent city to a livable city after experiencing COVID-19. This research project, in collaboration with residents and a local design team, explores the ideal state of a sustainable tourist city and involves the actual design process.
Community Engagement / University of Tokyo
YEAR: 2020 - Ongoing
TYPE: Academic Work / Group (2020 - 2022) Commissioned Work (2022 - 2024)
SITE: Uji, Kyoto, Japan
SCALE: 48 ha
COLLAB: Urban Deisgn Centre UJI
SUPV: Miyagi Shunsaku, Hajime Ishikawa
ROLE: Responsible for conducting onsite investigations, creating a database, and visualizing the site conditions.
Responsible for designing and managing Japanese garden exteriors associated with the renovation of vacant houses since 2022.
❺ Economic Activities
While tea shops cluster along main roads, the interior faces development pressure for apartment complexes, and vacant lots are converted into tourist parking
❹ Plantation
Fertile soils for tea production were chosen as cultivation sites and remain under traditional farming methods
❸ Street Network
Paths following micro-topography remain after 700 years, while road widening for housing developments allows cars to easily penetrate the interior
❷ Water Network
Clear springs from wells in the area were used for tea ceremonies, and Japanese gardens were supplied by the river
❶ Topography
The depositing action of two rivers formed overlapping alluvial fans, creating land suitable for tea cultivation
Design Typology for Gardenizing
Through a void survey, three garden typologies were identified in the central area of Uji. These were determined as the design concepts for the gardenization of parking lots and vacant spaces. Additionally, there were over 250 voids in the area, some of which were surveyed by the team, and the locations for the pilot projects were decided.
Mae - Niwa (Front Garden)
Tori - Niwa (Path Garden)
Ushiro - Niwa (Back Garden)
As the house had been uninhabited for 10 years, the trees and shrubs had not been pruned. To improve the natural lighting inside the building, only the pine, summer orange, crape myrtle (Sarusuberi), and plum trees, which change colours with the seasons, were kept, while the rest were transplanted.
Installing MACHINIWA : Nakauji Tea Studio
Tree new Gardens
松香庵
sho-ko-an
Sho-ko-an is a tea house being renovated by a young tea master from Uji, who wants to have his own tea room. The garden will be created following three design typologies. The front garden facing the road will feature a lawn, while the central area will combine an existing pine tree with a rock garden. In the back, there will be a tea flower field where the tea master will grow flowers to be used in tea ceremonies.
Riverside Plaza
Urban Deisgn
- Rhinoceros
- Grasshopper
- Laser Cutting
Conversion of two buildings and Renobation of two voids
In this studio, the challenge was to revitalize a cement factory and a newspaper factory site that had been in operation since 1872 but had fallen into disuse in the city center. The proposal suggested converting each of the buildings. The cement factory building consists of a tall space composed of eight cylindrical rooms, each of which was proposed to be used as a studio or gallery. The newspaper factory, with its huge underground space for rotary presses, was to be converted into a concert hall and live studio, taking advantage of the underground space.
STUDIO WORK / UTokyo
2nd Place in the Department
YEAR 2019
SITE : Tokyo, Japan
SCALE: 3ha
TEAM: Individual
SUPV: Atsushi Deguchi, Aya Kubota
Kiyosu Bridge
The underground hall repurposed from a newspaper printing factory
Deck overlooking the Sumida River
The cafe converted from a former pumping station
Sumida River
Art gallery converted from a cement factory
Apartment complex for university students
Central Plaza
Feast of Cities
Landscape Architecture+ Urbanism
- Blender (for 3d modelling)
- Archicad
- QGIS
Transition to a City for People
In this studio, we were asked to set a client and design a landscape for a site along a river. I chose Asahi Beer, whose headquarters are located along the Sumida River, as my client and proposed expanding the river art festival they organize. The Sumida River Fireworks Festival, which has been held for 200 years and attracts 1 million people, has an increased risk of crowd accidents, and venue expansion is required. Therefore, in addition to the first and second venues, I proposed utilizing the Metropolitan Expressway running along the river as a third venue, using it as a temporary deck.
Studio Work / UTokyo
YEAR 2022
SITE : Tokyo, Japan
SCALE: 4 km
TYPE: Individual
SUPV: Toru Mitani
0 1km
SUMIDA RIVER FIREWORKS FESTIVAL NEW MASTERPLAN
SUMIDA RIVER FIREWORKS
FESTIVAL NEW MASTERPLAN
During Festival Current
The
for over
and buildings. Focusing on the fact that all surrounding areas are closed to vehicle traffic only on the day of the fireworks festival, in addition to the existing ramps, temporary stair decks are installed to provide vertical access to the Metropolitan Expressway at each bridge section.
First Freworks Launch Site (Mukojima Area)
Road Closure Area
Mukoujima Highway Exit
Asakusabashi Highway Exit
Third Fireworks Venue (Highway)
Second Freworks Launch Site (Asakusa Area)
The Metropolitan Expressway
highway runs
4 km, weaving between the Sumida River
Connect the three level differences of the ground, temporary deck, and expressway through the temporary deck
The scenery from the opposite bank
Cherry blossom row preserved for 200 years
Asahi Beer, the local company supporting the fireworks festival
Urban Sciences: New Methods for Interpreting Cities
Projection Mapping + Artworks
- Touch Deisgner
- Adobe Premier Pro
- Smart Shoes
Designing an Exhibition for Deep
Discussion / New methods of interpreting the urban landscape
This project was conducted to showcase the research results of companies and groups collaborating with the Urban Science Lab to the public, and to promote understanding of data science and community development.
The projection mapping was adopted as a presentation tool for government officials, engineers, residents, NPOs, and others involved in each project to gather around and engage in discussions, using the projection mapping and displays.
Professional Experiences / RCAST
YEAR: 2022 - 2023
SITE: Shibuya, Tokyo.
Uji, Kyoto.
Numazu, Shizuoka.
COLLAB: Takahiro Oyama(Artworks)
Tetsuya Takahashi(Artworks)
TEAM: Urban Sciences Lab.
SUPV: Yuji Yoshimura
ROLE: Directed and curated three exhibitions
Created several artworks as an exhibiting artist
Green View Index and Green Coverage Ratio Visualization in Uji City, Kyoto
System Design for Projection Mapping
Created modular furniture that could be disassembled to accommodate three different venues. As the main display was a 1.8m square projection mapping of the city's street network model, all furniture was constructed using modules measuring 30cm each. Designed a frame to suspend the projector since it could not be hung directly from the ceiling. Adopted screws that could be disassembled by hand for fixing these components, enabling parallel work by multiple people.
The model featured projections of 1. visualizations of green view ratio and green coverage ratio within the city, and 2. the city's physical walkability usage captured by sensor-embedded smart sneakers.
Using Touch Designer, the display and projection mapping contents were linked, with the projection indicating locations and the display showing detailed information.
Picuresque or Movie-esque? 06
Semantic Segmentation
Time Series Data Analysis
- Python
Recognition and Notation of Dynamic Landscape
This research examines a new method of urban landscape notation in the era of machine learning and AI using semantic segmentation.
Urban landscapes are full of vitality, which is caused by the presence of moving objects such as people, cars, and bicycles. In the field of human-environment design, there have been many discussions on how people perceive sequences through walking. In contrast, this research discusses how to deal with the movement of objects in the landscape.
By using object recognition through semantic segmentation, the movement and changes in the landscape are converted into time-series data analysis, revealing the relationships between objects and the impact of dynamic objects such as people and cars on the landscape.
Considering the Beauty of Cities
The visual value assessment of cities has been considered through photographs and still images, with the building outlines and the size of outdoor advertisements being regarded as the top priority elements that define beauty. However, the crowds of people overflowing due to overtourism and the facades with digital signage likely have a significant impact on the appearance of cities.
Master Thesis / University of Tokyo
Under peer review
YEAR 2023 - 2024
SITE : Ikebukuro, Tokyo.
TYPE: Research
TEAM: Individual
SUPV: Naoto Nakajima
Time-series data of crosswalks
Dynamic Landscapes and Cities
Dynamic landscapes vary greatly depending on the characteristics of a place. In areas with high traffic volume, such as intersections and crosswalks, a rhythm of 32 seconds statistically determined by traffic signals was found. In contrast, in parks where cars and bicycles are excluded, pedestrian movement is determined by the designed walking paths, resulting in patterns observed in the person visibility index. In other words, in the analysis of time-series data, it was found that the X-axis (period) is related to factors such as traffic and flow, while the Y-axis (percentage) is related to physical characteristics.
Cars and people alternately pass through at crosswalks
The passage of people creates a rhythm in parks
Archive the City: Stippled Landscape
Urban X-ray Examination
In Japan, a project called Plateau has been initiated to create 3D models of cities nationwide. However, due to limited resources available to each local government, the progress of the project is challenging in regional cities. By using drones to capture the entire city and conducting laser surveys, an entire area can be covered in just one day. Laser surveys enable detailed
Point Cloud Data
- Twinmotion
- Adobe Premiere Pro
understanding of the terrain and even allow for the identification of tree shapes and species. Continuous cross-sections generated from point cloud models help confirm the level difference between rivers and the areas within levees, providing crucial information for considering landscape planning for flood control measures.
Professional Experiences / RCAST
YEAR: Oct 2022
SITE: Uji, Kyoto
SCALE: 70ha
TYPE: Research Project
COLLAB: Flight Survey. inc
TEAM: Urban Sciences Lab.
SUPV: Yuji Yoshimura
ROLE: Created the survey plan for point cloud measurement and negotiated with local authorities
Extracted continuous cross-sectional diagrams from the point cloud model and created short clips for the exhibition.
Continuous cross-sections of the height relationship between the garden and architecture
Extracting cross-sections from a point cloud model (orange lines)