Unforeseen Urban Conditions
How Extreme Urbanism Influences Site-Specific Architecture & Planning in Osaka
There’s an expression, “Context Matters.” How we respond to context is ultimately what architecture is. The densely populated cities of Japan are filled with high-speed rails, underground malls, and transit system maps resembling yellow slim mold clusters. Operating in these conditions, architects, urban designers, and engineers show us ingenious ways to integrate architecture into the urban landscape without being flashy or sculptural but rather intentional and specific. While visiting Osaka, I started to recognize some of these conditions; they wouldn’t work elsewhere unless the cities reached a certain density level.
To give some context, Osaka is Japan's 3rd most populated city (after Tokyo & Yokohama), with 2.7 million inhabitants and 19 million in the metropolitan area (roughly 12,214/km2 or 31,630/sq mi). Osaka is also surrounded by ten other cities (i.e., Kobe, Kyoto) with massive populations of their own. Being an economic powerhouse throughout the different ages in Japan, its citizens rebuilt it quickly after it was leveled during the American air raids in WWII.
1|Buildings Under/Next to Highways
Walking up during sunrise in the Namba district after an incredibly jetlagged night, I found myself staring at a highway outside my window. However, unlike all other experiences I had in the past, I wouldn’t even know it was there if it wasn’t for the fast-moving cars. The buildings inhabit around it and under it, creating a buffer. The highway is lifted enough that a two-story building can fit under, and the crossings never feel too dark. Additionally, there is a McDonald's right under the crossing, along with restaurants and shops lining the ground floor of the buildings.
On the more pedestrian-friendly and slightly quieter side, the buildings are 3–4 stories tall; they create a wall dampening the sound from the highway. Additionally, the translucent sound walls are tall enough that all noise is directed upward. When there are no empty lots to build on, any space can be an opportunity for inhabitation or economic opportunity.
2|Gate Tower Building
The land rights of the Gate Tower Building were held by a wood and charcoal business since the 1880s, and they refused to give up their rights to the land when the Umeda exit (a new high-density urban core) was planned. After many negotiations, they reached a resolution that resulted in Japan's first building with a highway running through it. Architects Azusa Yamamoto Sekkei & Nishihara Kenchiku Sekkei Jimusho designed the building nicknamed “the Beehive” (for its constant activities), and the highway occupies floors 5–7. There’s even a helicopter pad on top of the building.
The building would have appeared relatively normal, and, with the introduction of the APA Hotel next door, it is tough to tell what’s unique about it. However, if on the ground level, it is apparent that the highway is running through it, and the building had to have a large footprint to accumulate it.
3|City of Air/Sky Cities
In the 1980s, Umeda was fast growing to become a new urban node in Osaka. Architect Hiroshi Hara envisioned the “City of Air” project as a planned mixed-use skyscrapers that create four interconnected towers. However, only one of the towers was built, resulting in the Umeda Sky Building. The facade materials remain simple, so the focus can be on the unique yet familiar massing. It draws inspiration from the Grande Arche in Paris, giving it a large but relatively covered plaza in the middle and a large sky deck/observatory, which was craned up after the two 40-story towers were nearly completed.
Along with its diagonal escalators, sky bridges, and exterior elevators, the building allows for new circulation and movement in a skyscraper, usually reserved for moving up or down. If the initial concept was built with towers connected to the Umeda Sky Building, it would have created a unique form of urbanism, much like the Downtown Athletic Club described in Rem Koolhaus’ “Delirious New York.” Unfortunately, as a single observatory, that has a hefty entry fee, so you won’t find any locals there. While walking around the site, I noticed a building that caught my eye. The Osaka Station City is a recent development that takes many of the design cues of the Umeda Sky Building.
From the exterior, the building does not appear to be anything other than infrastructure. This is because the station is composed of multiple buildings and is large enough to accommodate the 2.3 million (as of 2017) users of the station(s) each day. Within the plaza, the multi-floor escalators lead you up the building once you enter the plaza. One ride up, you will reach the train station. One ride down, and you’ll get to the subway. Three rides up, and you’ll reach the public sky deck. This form of multi-floor escalator cuts the usual stop-and-go movements of elevators that can only move one car of people at a time. The escalator movement, in contrast, is efficient, covered by the ceiling above, and allows the visitors to stay outdoors throughout the circulation to the roofpark.
Under the Sky City concept, rooftop parks are prevalent in mega buildings in Osaka. They give residents views of their city and connect them to shops and sometimes nature, which is sorely needed. This can make the public spaces a destination for meeting someone for coffee or casual shopping. Here’s another example from Namba Parks, only three stations away. The sky garden starts from the 3rd floor and stretches to the 10th, where there’s a relatively long walking track. Shops have spillout spaces in the park on each floor, allowing visitors to use them like park benches and water fountains. The floorplate of each floor cascades down (and shrinks quite a bit) to allow the roof of the previous floor to become the grounds for the park.
The Sky City concept creates additional space at higher elevations in a city, leaving many of its more historic buildings intact. While most people may think this is not the most efficient use of space from a conceptual point of view, the concept is thoughtful and accommodating, especially in dense cities of a post-COVID world.
In conclusion, open space will become increasingly scarce as more people move to cities. In cities with extreme urbanism, where you cannot see the edge, high-density problems require unique solutions to emerge. Osaka has subtly shown me.
I wrote this entry while listening to Linkin Park: FROM ZERO. This article is part of a series during my year-long sabbatical. If you enjoyed this article or the images, make sure to give it a like. If you loved it, follow me on Instagram and find more of my work at www.georgexlin.com.
