Osaka, amongst a population of 2.5 1000000 inhabitants, is the instant urban nub of Japan. Because it was close completely destroyed past times bombings during the Second World War, this port urban nub does non receive got a surviving historical heritage every bit of import every bit Kyoto or Nara. By contrast, its architecture, urban planning too infrastructure are impressive symbols of a modern too cosmopolitan city.
Near its primary tributary, the Yodo River, the Umeda district is located, the fiscal too commercial pump of the city. Here, nosotros flora a special skyscraper: the Umeda Sky Building (1993), designed past times award-winning architect Hiroshi Hara .
Hara (internationally known for his blueprint of the Sapporo Dome stadium, dwelling solid of the World Cup Nippon / Korea 2002) designed the edifice amongst 2 goals.
Firstly, to create a peachy urban gateway, similar to the Arche de la Défense, Paris. Two towers of 173 m were erected, joined at the hold out past times past a viewing terrace, making it the tallest edifice inward Nippon at the fourth dimension of its completion inward 1993. Now occupies the 7th house amid the highest Japanese buildings.
These towers are connected past times bridges, panoramic elevators too electrical sidewalks, affordingan interesting pedestrian dynamism, dissimilar to most of the populace of skyscrapers, where yous tin alone become upward or down.
The edifice is crowned past times a platform of 54 past times 54 meters, perforated at its pump past times a drinking glass band that seems to evoke a infinite station.
This platform includes restaurants whose interiors are soberly decorated , called the "Floating Garden" Observatory, which to a greater extent than or less critics receive got compared to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
There is too an interior balcony too an outdoor terrace, from where yous tin appreciate a spectacular see of the urban nub of Osaka, peculiarly the Yodo River.
The instant objective was to hand this skyscraper the appearance of a floating city, too for this hold out Hara used a special drinking glass on hold out past times of the building, which reflects the surrounding heaven too landscape, contrasting amongst the opaque ceramic on the bottom . In this way, the edifice changes its appearance every twenty-four hours of the year, every hr of the day.
At the hold out past times of each tower, the edges receive got been shredded inward a serial of volumetric allegories, becoming a metaphor of the clouds inward which the garden observatory "floats". In my opinion, this activeness spoils the purity of the thought past times including unnecessary too arbitrary decorations. This mental attitude of Hara is recurrent inward his other buildings such every bit the Kyoto Station, which I promise to cite inward a time to come post.
To run across a 3D volumetric animation of the rooftop, click here:
The construction procedure was really interesting. Firstly the side towers were erected too after the observation deck (which had been assembled separately) was hoisted past times a crane too fitted at the hold out past times of the building .
Images courtesy of Takenaka Corporation
During my see I flora a funny but flattering trivia: In the hall in that place is a large size model of Machu Picchu, amongst a sign that reads "The ancient floating urban nub of the Andes: Machu Picchu (" Andesu Kodai no toshi kuuchuu Machu Pichu).
That is a suggestive adjective, given to the Inca citadel: inward a higher house of its qualities such every bit "sacred", "hidden", "lost" or others that nosotros oft hear, they preferred to lift their ethereal character. It is hence interesting the similarity flora past times the Japanese betwixt this high-tech edifice too the wonderful Peruvian citadel, whose paradigm floating inward the clouds I recollect amongst pride, affection too a fleck of nostalgia.
Another unique attraction at the garden level, is a gear upward of restaurants that recreates a picturesque street, evoking the erstwhile Nippon of the early on twentieth century inward the Showa era.
Its originality inward novel skyscraper design, the noesis of construction techniques that bargain amongst earthquakes too typhoons, a unique search for integration betwixt man, applied scientific discipline too landscape, too the thoroughness too sobriety inward the interior design, typically Japanese, makes this impressive piece of occupation an architectural landmark of the twentieth century Japan.
