|
Roppongi 1chome Station Exit 3
Minato, Tokyo
Koh Kitayama + architecture
WORKSHOP
A transparent subway pavilion adds
life to a thriving neighborhood
© Keiji Ashizawa |
For more photos click on 'photos
& drawings' above.
To see the people and products
behind this project click on 'people & products.'
|
The entrance pavilion of this subway
station is located next to Ark Hills, a complex completed
in 1986 that is the culmination of 15 years of planning and
construction by the Mori Building corporation, whose designers
were determined to make it a hub where people live, work,
shop, and participate in a variety of cultural activities.
ARK is actually an acronym for "Akasaka-Roppongi Knot,"
and if you looked at the area’s perpetually snarled traffic,
the word begins to make sense. In addition to three residential
apartment buildings, the three-sided 36-floor ANA Hotel, and
37-floor Ark Towers Building, the complex functions as a seat
for culture where live performances are regularly held at
Suntory Hall, adjacent to which are studios of the Asahi television
network.
This level of urban activity necessitated
a subway station that continued the upbeat theme of the neighborhood.
The architects imagined a place that would be active at night,
with nearby food stalls doing business. The footprint of the
entrance to the station on street level was restricted by
the park that surrounds it, so the architects designed a pavilion
that is little more than a shelter over a large stairway.
This airy and modern rectangular cover is assembled from narrow
metal bars creating a light trusswork that suggests sunlight
filtered through the leaves of trees. The box is framed in
steel mesh, and two cylindrical tubes extending the width
of the pavilion provide light. It is bright and transparent,
helping to insure its safe use during evening hours when the
performances let out.
Formal name
of Project:
Roppongi 1 chome Station Exit No.3
Location:
Minato, Tokyo
Gross square
footage:
2,512 sq. ft.
Total construction
cost:
$1.5 million
Owner:
Mori Building CO.,LTD./Teito Rapid Transit Authority
www.tokyometro.jp
Architect:
Koh Kitayama + architecture WORKSHOP
2-14-21 BF, Motoazabu, Minato,Tokyo 106-0046
Phone: ++81.(0)3.5449.8337
Fax: ++81.(0)3.5449.4822
www.archws.com
|
Video
