Arch2O.com

Arch2O.com - Architecture & Design Magazine
This eight-story commercial building?located on a corner lot at right angles to an alleyway and Omotesando Avenue?is actually surrounded by Tod?s L-shaped Omotesando Building by Toyo Ito. The façade of the former old building faced Omotesando exclusively, so the side façade, facing the alleyway, was exposed awkwardly like the backside of a building.
Courtesy of Norihiko Dan and Associates – Kozo Takayama
Thus, this project tries to change this relationship to the Tod?s building by creating a diagonal orientation with an irregularly shaped circle. This is to maximize the corner lot feature of the premises, and to accentuate the inner vertical fa̤ade of the adjacent Tod?s building, in order to create a certain ?symbiotic? synergy. The building?s structure is composed of multiple leaf-shaped columns made from steel reinforced concrete and arranged on the outer shell. The wood-like texture on these columns was developed by pouring concrete into a wooden mold. Courtesy of Norihiko Dan and Associates РDetail
Omotesando is the heart of Tokyo?s fashion scene, and it is distinctive for its beautiful rows of zelkova (keyaki) trees, which bring continuity to the avenue. On the other hand, the rows of exquisitely designed and eye-catching buildings express themselves so uniquely that they are all unrelated to each other.
Courtesy of Norihiko Dan and Associates – Kozo Takayama
The Keyaki Building, however,...