Azabudai Hills by Heatherwick Studio
The project, known as Azabudai Hills, is the culmination of a thirty-year regeneration process steered by Mori Building Co. Ltd., Japan's leading urban landscape developer. The new neighbourhood is made up of residential buildings, retail spaces, a school, two temples, art galleries, offices and restaurants, all set within 2.4ha of green, publicly accessible landscape. Heatherwick Studio is the lead architect of the public realm and the podium level architecture. The design encourages purposeful connections between commuters, residents and the public, and the 8.1-hectare district is filled with trees, flowers and water features.
Meandering routes and walkable rooftop slopes invite exploration and informal gatherings. Tokyo is a juxtaposition of old and new architecture, with large and small buildings pressed up against each other. The design celebrates this rich mixture of layers and all the variety and intensity of the city. Residents and visitors can come together and be inspired by a new landscape that includes extensive public gardens, a central square and The Cloud event space. It is now one of Tokyo’s greenest urban areas and continues Mori Building Company’s commitment to creating garden cities where the landscape simultaneously supports nature and people.
Azabudai Hills is also on track to become one of the world’s largest sites to receive the preliminary WELL certification, the highest-level LEED Neighbourhood Development certification for mixed use developments, and LEED’s BD+C (Building Design/Core and Shell Development) certification. As part of the development, Heatherwick Studio has designed its first school, The British School in Tokyo. At 15,000 sqm, this is the largest international school in the heart of the city. The design takes full advantage of the local climate with a seamless flow of outdoor learning and recreational spaces spread across eight levels, where students and teachers can enjoy working. Source by Heatherwick Studio.
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