Omotesando Hills 表參道山

October 4th, 2007

Omotesando Hills, Tokyo, Japan

If you have read my earlier post about the famous and stylish Japan Architect, the Ando Tadao (安藤忠雄) and his signature work “The Church of Light“, and that you find you also love the artistic work of Ando, then you should like this place where I am going to introduce to you, the Omotesando Hills.

The Development

The Omotesando Hills project is located in the Aoyama (青山) of Tokyo.

The street of the Omotesando in the Aoyama is very pretty, the street is wide and straight, with a mild slope and with lots of green and talk trees along the two sides of the street. The area is famous for shopping and residential (previously) in Aoyama, which is sometimes termed Tokyo’s Champs-Élysées.

The project is designed by Tadao Ando, which contains over 130 shops and 38 apartments. The Complex so built and designed is not a large and huge commercial building, but rather a humble and pretty building complex blending well with the surrounding environment and adopting every design concept and the philisophy of beauty of its creator, Tadao Ando.

One point about the Omotesando Hills project which worths noting is that the project has been marked by controversy, as the new built shopping arcade and the residential block has replaced the Bauhaus-inspired Dōjunkai Aoyama Apartments, which had been built in 1927 after the 1923 Kantō earthquake. The destruction of the original and antique apartments raised questions about Japan’s interest in preserving historic buildings.

Ando writes about the historic Dojunkai Apartments and his project:

The Dojunkai Apartments were created as a part of the Great Kanto Earthquake reform plans and they were not only important cooperative housing units but also reflected the visions of the people living there and visiting the area. How to save this vision was one of the main subjects I had to contend with in this reconstruction plan. Although restoration of the original building was physically and economically impossible, the residential apartments located on the top floors of the complex provide each resident with enough distance from the hustle and bustle of Omotesando and at the same time affords them a beautiful view of the tree-lined street. ……

I was careful to incorporate the following two subjects so that the memory of the Dojunkai Apartments would not be forgotten. First, I was careful to make sure the height of the complex was close to that of the row of Japanese zelkova trees adjacent to the complex by constructing half the complex space underground. The second was to use the slope of Omotesando Street as part of the public space of the development. The facade continues for 250 meters following the slope of Omotesando Street. Each floor is created on the gradual Omotesando slope, creating an innovative public city space. Furthermore, the rooftop is covered with greenery that integrates with the zelkova trees. What I aimed for was a ‘re-birth’ of the Dojunkai Apartments.

Tadao Ando/Tadao Ando Architect & Associates
安藤忠雄建築研究所

The Design Features & Concepts

Fair face concrete, one of the most favourite materials used by Ando, is again the main material used in the Omotesando Hills. Clean, minimal, natural and basic, are the elements that Ando would like to inspire us through his creation.

If you are familiar with Ando’s work, when you visit the Omotesando Hills, you would immediate recognise Ando’s architectual signature: the use of simple forms, the straight lines and structure, the harmonisation with and even highlighting the beauty of the surrounding environment, the invitation of large amount of natural lights and the feeling of quiet and comfort inside the building.

The height of the complex is carefully designed, it equals to that of the adjacent zelkova trees, creating a harmony between the complex and its surroundings. The complex provides the visitors with an open-air feeling which blends in with the surrounding environment.

The rooftop of the Complex is covered with trees and plants, forming a connection with the Japanese zelkova trees in the street. The Complex in fact draws visitors’ attention to the lovely and pretty trees around and it highlights the pretty of the natural colours and forms of the trees.

The inside of the shopping arcarde is built with a spiral slope winding around the center atrium, which evokes the gradual slope of Omotesando itself. The inside spiral slope serves as the entry way to numerous shops that form a continuous row, as if they were street shops. The spiral form of the Slope creates a feeling of openness and provides visitors with the excitement of walking the streets of Omotesando, giving a unique feeling unlike any in the area within the complex. It is as if the complex welcomes you with Omotesando within itself.

Let’s see another small and tricky element of Ando, using light and form: the straight lines formed by the spiral slope inside the Complex converts into a single point with natural light source. The resulted visual effect is like many light stokes coming out from the light source. A feeling of uplifting and spiritual is successfully created.

Another feature of Ando’s design is the “Re-birth Complex” which uses the walls of the Aoyama Apartments, to provide visitors with a look into history and nostalgia. Omotesando Hills was established not only as a new facility, but as a means to continue and pass on to the next generation the warm atmosphere and picturesque views of Omotesando.

The Shopping Arcarde

Apart from the artistic complex building, the luxury shops in the Omotesando Hills are also spectecular. The shops and their show windows are all artistically designed and it’s really a pleasure to walk along the slope inside the shopping arcade slowly and to do some window shopping alone. Here are some gorgeous show windows and shop design inside the Omotesando Hills.

Although there are many new and exiciting shopping malls and arcades in Tokyo, I still keep going back and visiting the Omotesando Hills. If you like something hip and well designed, the Omotesando Hills is surely your cup of tea.

Omotesando Hills:

Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, Chiyoda Line, Hanzomon Line Omotesando Station Exit A2, Two min on foot.
Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line, Meiji-Jingumae Station Exit 5, Three min on foot.
JR Yamanote Line Harajuku Station Exit Meiji-Jingu, Seven min on foot.

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