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Nishiokamoto Master Plan & Housing

Nishiokamoto Master Plan & Housing
Kobe
Japan

The master plan of this nine-acre site involved a design for 300 high-end condominiums plus amenities that would reflect and enhance the image of western influence in the area.  The design would also provide a landmark destination for its residents and offer a resort-like atmosphere.  The site, once a rolling hillside with a natural spring, had been radically graded into flat pads for barracks-like post-war housing.  Our master plan involved the restoration of the topography and the configuration of perimeter buildings around a sequence of gardens.

 

The master plan is based on retaining a sense of the original character of the land by establishing the creation of a “natural” path which moves from a water source in the mountain garden, through the meadow garden and on to the ocean garden.  This path is crossed by a formal axis of buildings and gardens which visually links the project to the city.  The buildings along the natural path are shaped and sited more informally, while those on the formal axis are symmetrical, varying in profile to meet strict Japanese requirements for natural light.  The buildings step from three to eight floors, with a pair of 11-story towers framing the formal axis and centering the project.  The spaces between buildings are shaped and detailed to be as important as the buildings themselves, and to provide varied experiences for the inhabitants and visitors.