Osaka, Japan

International Concept Competition For The Northern Osaka Station Area

Flavia Bucca, Marino Famà

THE OBJECTIVES AND THE PROJECT PHILOSOPHY

In order that the target area can play an important role in Osaka City and in Keihansin region, its necessary to attribute adequate attractive functions.

Therefore the will to create an important cultural and technological pole realizing the Osaka Forum.

The Forum, which is composed of the Cultural Centre big container of cultural and entertainment activities- and of the Technological District seat of university departments and of related business activities- as a window on the world of the Japanese know how.

The above functions anyway are not enough to decree the project success. Its necessary to create an environment that makes the fruition particularly interesting and pleasant, where mans needs become the central theme of the project.

By means of attractive architectures we can create an interesting environment, but sometimes they are not enough to make it comfortable and relaxing. This objective can often be reached creating a urban space whose elements (the square, the green, etc) dont always produce an income.

It happens so that the pursuit of these objectives sometimes contrasts with the economical-financial laws.

These imposing intensive exploitation of the sail in the metropolis to the detriment of the open spaces, repress the real needs of the inhabitants.

It becomes therefore necessary, in a pragmatics and non-utopian view, to reconcile mans needs with the capital requirements, so as to conjugate the buildings high density with adequate spaces for relax and entertainment.

This project permitted to reach high inhabiting levels (the building floor ratio = 527%) in spite of a very low ratio of sol covering (the building area ratio = 21%).

Besides, it provides for the realization of about 17 ha. public spaces with facilities (Park, squares, pedestrian street, ...) on a total of 18 ha. (roads excluded). This has been obtained locating the social public spaces on various levels (not only on the ground level as usual).

The pursuit of these objectives, with no need to sacrifice the functional aspects, permitted to put into effect the fundamental principles of the project philosophy that can be summarized in the following six issues:

Architecture as construction of spaces

- Buildings that like inhabited walls define the empty spaces of the open air;

- Open spaces that fit one into the other like Chinese boxes.

Architecture as a metaphor:

- The sky-line of the buildings to symbolize metaphorically (Mitate) a mountain landscape;

- The big splits between the buildings as real urban canyons

- The roof garden on the top of the Cultural Centre like a wood climbing along the slope;

- The big central space with the water basin down the road lay-out, like the bed of a party dried river, as a metaphor of the Osaka sail alluvial origin.

Light as a factor of spaces connotation:

- Underground city that expands opening itself to the light;

- Open spaces with different and gradual levels of natural lighting/shadiness squares like rooms under the open sky and pedestrian roads like urban canyons;

Dynamic perception of architecture:

- Buildings conforming to the smooth lay-out of the roads and translating the land density into a garden profile;

- Reflecting fronts as a kaleidoscope of reality continuously changeable;

- Floating and dynamic green.

Sense of space as a result of a vision from different point of views (shintai):

- spatial composition of which it isnt possible seeing all of the elements in the some moment or with an overall view, to reveal the beauty of change (Miegakure);

- Spatiality of difficult comprehension, but by means of its active fruition (Oku);

- Juxtaposition between elements (heichi) to create spaces not submitted to a global hierarchy.

Use of trained vegetation:

- To harmonize nature and the buildings (Shizen)

- To feel the flowing of time and the change of the seasons (utsurai)

- To improve comfort and relax of the metropolis inhabitants.

THE PROJECT

THE INFRASTRUCTURES

According to the planning conditions enclosed, the solutions adopted in the area project about the infrastructures are as follows:

Network Roads

The road network made to penetrate into the area follows the east-west and north-south directions required.

The lay-out of the northern extension of Yotubashi-suji is curved to permit a smoother connection of the areas North and South of the target area.

The connection of new roads with the turn-off of the Hanshin Expressway is also provided for, as well as the widening of the road on the west border of the area, given the underground laying of the Umeda Cargo Line.

As to the secondary roads, they are connected with the Yotsubashi-suji in the west.

Naniwasusj Line

The North-South lay-out of the line follows the provided scheme. The station is situated at the East-West connection between Skin-Umeda City and Hankyu Umeda Station, while the related access is situated at the underground pedestrian level.

The new station is visually marked by two high pyramidal glass skylight. The underground line is approximately situated at about -10,00 m. above OP level.

Umeda Cargo Line

The underground laying of the present Umeda Cargo Line along the west border of the area is proposed so that it doesnt interfere with the project road network.

This solution is believed to be more suitable then a possible one on a viaduct (that should be 10-12 m. high to get over the overpass south of the area, and so of considerable impact), and than an hypothesis to modify the project road system, risking to trouble the functionally of the existing road network.

North-South Connection Passageway

To obtain a clear functional separation between vehicular and pedestrian traffic, the required connection between the areas North and South of the station is realized underground connecting system of the spaces with of the walks network already existing in the area South of the station.

In this way we obtain a pedestrian system connecting the squares, the pedestrian street and the Park with underground station south of the JR Line, the Umeda Station and the public parking spaces of Osaka Station and Sakurabashi.

A big underground parking area, a new railway building and a restyling of the Osaka station added to the required infrastructures.

Osaka Station

The project includes a new building for the Osaka Station to realize an adequate back for the great space it faces. Characterized by the imposing Hall of the station, whose external configuration a urban portal, the building includes a tower about 180 m. high and the long and narrow office building.

There is also a light covering (glasses) of the platforms for the passengers comfort and to renew this infrastructure, with no need of heavy structural intervention.

However, it is desirable a new functional definition of the railway structure, given its connecting role; so as to obtain a big bus terminal at ground level and down the platforms, having first transferred the existing commercial activities in the new project structures, and to assign one or more underground levels to big public parking lots.

The public underground parking area

There is a big public parking area of 15.700 m2 with n. 450 of places at the second underground level, parallel to the Naniwasuji Line, to serve the structures existing in the area.

Its entry is made of three big slopes, located not to hamper the main road system. Its capacity can be increased with a multi-level solution, if necessary. It can be realized in two different phases (10.100 m2 in phase one and 5.600 m2 in phase two), without altering its functions.

THE OSAKA FORUM

Its constituted by a big cultural centre, a technological district and a connective web, that is a complex pedestrian system constituted by the park, the squares and the commercial roads.

These functions should so connote the target area as the main technological and cultural pole of Osaka, directly connected to the City located South of the railway station.

THE PEDESTRIAN CONNECTION CONNECTIVE SYSTEM

It develops on two mains levels: the ground one and the underground one at about

-5,00 m. above OP level. These levels are vertically connected by stairs, light slopes (< 10%) and steps with the double functions of passage and stay.

This connective system results essentially constituted by the park, wide side-walks along the blocks perimeter at ground level; at this level a series of galleries connective the above mentioned spaces realize an articulated and organic pedestrian system, connected with the infrastructures (parking areas, underground, etc) South of Osaka Station, and without any interference without any interference with the mechanized vehicular and railway traffic.

The Park

The park of 5,00 ha. Obtained in the big space between the buildings, develops in the road network beginning from the new Osaka Station Plaza to the North end of the area and its delimited by the long buildings of the Cultural Centre on the East and by the Yotsubashi-suji on the West.

Even though its the area main project component as to dimension, it hasnt got any monumental character, as a choice.

Its prevailingly green area, often constituted by roof gardens covering inferior spaces, is interrupted by the empty spaces of the three squares, which are open at the underground level. The roof garden on the top of Cultural Centre constitutes its ideal projection to the sky.

The Squares

Except for the new Station Plaza we spoke about before, they extend prevailingly at the underground level.

Although the uninterrupted floor, their separation and identification happens only at a space level for the visual perspective interruption.

Having irregular shape and various dimension, they look like open-sky rooms whose sides are constituted by the delimitation walls of the underground spaces of the buildings, or by the stairs which, apart from overcoming smoothly the difference in level between the squares and the park sail, they function also as an amphitheatre for the users rest and entertainment (in case of possible shows).

In the squares there are the main entries to the various functions of the Cultural Centre and the main business activities with preference for bars, cafeterias, etc, and finally the entry of the new underground station of the Naniwasuji Line.

The Pedestrian Street

West of the Yotsubashi-suji, two underground foot-paths, connected one with the after and with the squares in the East (and so with the park) by a tunnels system, extend in longitudinal sense between the buildings of the technological district.

Seats of prevailing business activities, they have the function, together with the squares, to regain the traditional role of social space, without interference by the vehicular traffic.

Being of irregular shape and different length, comprised between buildings of increasing height from North to South, they look like deep splits in the some buildings, constituting real urban canyons, prevailing shady and ended upward by the sky. Those spaces result visually interrupted in the longitudinal sense only by the overpasses of the road web, making their total perception various and complex.

THE BUILDING SYSTEM

The building planimetric disposition, besides to second the dynamic principle of flowingness imposed by the main routes, happens to define especially the urban empty spaces as main social spaces. It results constituted by the big Cultural Centre and by the technological district that occupy respectively the East and West parts of the area object of the competition.

The Cultural Centre

It results constituted by various buildings connected by bridge structures to form a unitary organism with planimetric/architectural developments that differ by virtue of the put up functions.

It extends along the East side of the area, bending along the North border, to bring to an end the whole projected system.

Moreover it contains three theatres of various dimensions and importance, conference rooms, library, mediateque, expositive areas for temporary or permanent exhibition, office, etc.. occupying an area of 14.900 m2 and developing a total volume of 950.000 m3. The height of a complex varies from 30 to 86 m.

At the building top, a roof garden that extends for the whole length following the inclined profile, permits the use of the top and possibility of a view of the Park, besides an alternative entertainment area.

The Technological District

The Technological District that expands for a total of 8,50 ha., is constituted by twenty-two buildings of different form and height, distributed in eleven blocks resulting by the project road web. Having a changeable depth of 18 to 24 m., their height, of about 31 to 102 m., it follows the inclined profile, increasing from North to South, characterizing the whole buildings system.

They occupy a total area (above the ground) of 22.900 m2 developing a volume of 2.800.000 m3 . These buildings, housing on the first floors (basement and ground level) mainly business activities and offices on the other floors, will become seat of the University main research departments, to fill in the distance between the university and the urban centre.

Some of these buildings are already connected each other, but a greater interaction through connection bodies on the superior levels is not excluded, if necessary, in a following and deeper study of the real needs.

THE PROJECT EXECUTION PHASES

The planning and the execution of the project must probably be divided in several phases. They are the least five, although the intervention will reach a first level of organic functionality at the end of what we call second phase.

More in details:

The first phase, conform to what is required in the competition and therefore about the area portion of about 6 ha. sees the realization of the first part of the Cultural Centre, of the Station Front Plaza and of the related buildings south of the railway lay-out.

This phase will also see a partial realization of the Park and of the related underground public parking area.

In spite of the unitariness of the buildings, the Cultural Centre is composed of various parts connected by bridge structures, therefore permitting a phases-realization and autonomous use of the single units, differing in time.

In delayed under phases, there could also be the construction of the new railway system, but anyway only after having modified the road lay-out facing the Plaza and without binding the realization of the Cultural Centre.

the second phase, concerning the other area of 8,10 ha, will see:

the realization of the north-south route by the Northern extension of Yotsubashi-suji, and the ending of the Cultural Centre and of the Park.

Moreover it would be desirable ending the East-West route between Skin Umeda City and Hankyu Umeda Station.

In the first and second phase the underground station of the Naniwasuji and their related live will be realized or at last predisposed.

Apart from the target area, the project sees the reorganization of the square last of the some area, realizing the stairs and the related connection to the main underground plaza. Of course, this intervention is not necessary, but it would be desirable to better involve the nearby oriental urban blocks.

In the following phases the technological District can be realized, along the indicated scheme, they are the least three:

the third phase sees the realization of the seven southern blocks;

the fourth phase sees the realization of the two great northern blocks, next to the Yotsubashi-suji.

The fifth phase finally sees the realization of the three western blocks.

Between the second and the fifth phase, and anyway before the final execution of the west boundary road, the Umeda Cargo Line will become Underground.

The dismission of Umeda Cargo Line will perhaps permit the partial suppression of the tracks south of the present overpass and beyond the target area.

The cleared ground can therefore become the extension of the Yotsubashi-suji, or better, the projection of the Park, out of the target area.

Il concorso riguarda la sistemazione dellarea di 24 ettari occupata dall Umeda Cargo Station che verrà dismessa a partire dal 2004. Sita nel cuore di Osaka e adiacente alla City è servita da due importanti stazioni ferroviarie (JR Osaka e Hankyu Umeda) e da 4 linee della metropolitana per un transito giornaliero di 2,5 milioni di persone. Già collegata allaereoporto di Osaka International e molto presto a quello di Kansai mediante la prevista Naniwasuji Line, risulta facilmente raggiungibile da tutto il mondo.

Il progetto prevede la realizzazione di un importante polo culturale e tecnologico: l Osaka International Forum, costituito dal Centro Culturale ~~grande contenitore di attività culturali e di svago~~ e dal Quartiere Tecnologico ~~sede di dipartimenti universitari e di attività commerciali connesse~~ affinché possa giocare un ruolo di primaria importanza nei confronti della città e dellintera regione Keinhanshin.

Nonostante la previsione di un volume edificabile di oltre 5 milioni di metri cubi, attraverso una dislocazione a vari livelli, è stato possibile ricavare circa 17 ettari di spazio pubblico (di cui 7 sistemati a verde). A livello funzionale mediante un articolato sistema connettivo pedonale costituito da piazze e strade a quota ribassata e sfruttando la rete di percorsi sotterranei già esistente, viene operato il collegamento tra la City e le linee della metropolitana a sud della stazione con la nuova Naniwasuji Station, prevista nel cuore del nuovo parco delimitato dal costruito. Concetti spaziali riconducibili alla tradizione giapponese quali quello dello shizen, di utsuroi, di hitaisho, di Miegakure, di Oku e di Mitate, sono alla base dellipotesi progettuale sviluppata.

Europaconcorsi Beta

International Concept Competition For The Northern Osaka Station Area