Construction has begun on the Toranomon-Azabudai district in central Tokyo, where Japan's tallest skyscraper will sit alongside buildings and a landscaped pergola designed by Heatherwick Studio.
Heatherwick Studio designed the public realm and numerous low-rise blocks for the development within the Minato ward of Tokyo based on the idea of creating a giant plant-filled pergola.
"As many new developments around the world can be harsh and sterile we wondered if we could provide a more human-centred alternative by integrating surprisingly intense quantities of planting and greenery," said Thomas Heatherwick, founder of Heatherwick Studio.

"As a way of combining an architectural construction system with significant amounts of nature we developed the idea of a garden pergola scaled up to district size," he continued. "This concept has allowed us to bring an overarching logic to an eight-hectare piece of Tokyo whilst also making space for facilities such as housing, shops, hotels, spas, a school and a temple within the sections framed by the grid."

The district, which will stretch over eight hectares, will also include three skyscrapers designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, the tallest of which will become the tallest building in Japan at around 330 metres.
Stretching the length of the site, Heatherwick Studio created a series of buildings that are designed to give a "distinctive identity" to the district.

"Set within a natur...