Omotesando Keyaki Building / Norihiko Dan and Associates

Omotesando Keyaki Building / Norihiko Dan and Associates - WindowsOmotesando Keyaki Building / Norihiko Dan and Associates - ColumnOmotesando Keyaki Building / Norihiko Dan and Associates - CityscapeOmotesando Keyaki Building / Norihiko Dan and Associates - Windows, FacadeOmotesando Keyaki Building / Norihiko Dan and Associates - More Images+ 16

Shibuya-ku, Japan
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Omotesando Keyaki Building / Norihiko Dan and Associates - Facade, Cityscape, Garden
© Kozo Takayama

Text description provided by the architects. 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. 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 façade 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.

Omotesando Keyaki Building / Norihiko Dan and Associates - Image 21 of 21
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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. The Keyaki Building, however, was designed to relate to its context: as pedestrians walk by, it gradually changes its expression, to find a meaning through this movement. Furthermore, by bringing intervening elements into the context, such as the vertical scale made possible by its torchshaped form provided by the concrete columns, the project aimed to liven and enrich the ki (whole atmosphere)—not only of the building itself, but also of the Omotesando streetscape.

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Project location

Address:5 Chome-1 Jingūmae, Shibuya-ku, Tōkyō-to 150-0001, Japan

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Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
About this office
Cite: "Omotesando Keyaki Building / Norihiko Dan and Associates" 28 Jul 2015. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/770864/omotesando-keyaki-building-norihiko-dan-and-associates> ISSN 0719-8884

© Kozo Takayama

表参道 Keyaki 建筑 / Norihiko Dan and Associates

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