Namba Parks / The Jerde Partnership

The Jerde Partnership’s Namba Parks, in Osaka, Japan, was just named one of the winners of the Urban Land Institute’s 2009 Awards of Excellence: Asia Pacific competition.  When asked to create a gateway to redefine Osaka’s identity, the architects responded with this project that would become a natural intervention in Osaka’s dense and harsh urban condition.  The rooftop park offers a sloping park plane that is “bifurcated by a sinuous, open-air ‘canyon’ path that reinforces the connection with nature while forming the primary circulation pattern.”

More about the park after the break.

Running alongside a 30-storey office tower and a 46-storey residential tower, Namba Parks creates a dynamic rooftop space, while providing a commercial center on the lower levels.  The structure gradually ascends eight levels as it flows past several city blocks.  Since the park starts at street level and gently rises, large numbers of people are attracted to the trees and water features evident on the park plane.  As people travel through the park, outdoor terraces and quiet pockets of greenery provide spaces to dine or relax.

“Namba Parks creates a new natural experience for Osaka that celebrates the interaction of people, culture and recreation,” explained the architects.  The project exemplifies the Green Transit-Oriented Development, where economic performance and quality green design emerge as a single objective.

As seen on World Architecture News.