The grammar of Tokyo changed by Azabudai Hills
(Tokyo = Yonhap News) Reporter Seong Yeon-jae = Azabudai Hills in Minato-ku, Tokyo is evaluated as a symbolic project that shifted the center of gravity of Tokyo's urban redevelopment from competition with high-rises and scale to green space, walking, and lodging experiences.
It is a step forward from existing mixed-use developments that bring together residential, office, and commercial facilities. It attracted the attention of the architectural world by tightly mixing gardens, walking trails, art galleries, international schools, medical facilities, hotels, and food and beverage spaces into the daily flow.
It is evaluated that the role of the city has expanded from ‘a place to work and consume’ to ‘a place to spend the day and live’.
◇ The ‘landscape’ caught my eye before the building.
When you enter Azabudai Hills, the first thing that catches your eye is not the skyscrapers, but the scenery below them. A plaza and pedestrian path spread out between the low-rise buildings that follow the curve, and trees, grass, and gardens continuously fill the gaps. It is different from the feeling of building a huge building first and landscaping the remaining space later. There is a strong impression that the space and green space for people to walk and stay were first drawn, and then the architecture was built on top of that.
Mori Building's concept for Azabudai Hills is 'Modern Urban Village.' Business, residential, commercial, hotel, cultural facilities, and international schools were concentrated on a site of approximately 8.1 ha, while approximately 24,000 m2 was secured as green space.
The central square alone is approximately 6,000 m2. The elegantly curved lower level, which gently surrounds the ground level, was designed by Heatherwick Studio in the UK.
The true atmosphere of Azabudai Hills can be seen more clearly by walking on site than through numbers or statistics. A particularly luxurious-looking car approached from afar, and when I raised the camera, it turned out to be a Bentley driven by a woman.
Residents walking slowly with their dogs were also seen everywhere. Although there were not many people dressed up extravagantly, the leisure and calmness typical of high-end residential areas naturally permeated the entire space. For some, Azabudai Hills is a destination for shopping and sightseeing, but for others, it is a walking path in front of their house and a neighborhood where daily life continues.
◇ Selling scents, brunch, and the experience of staying
What was particularly impressive while looking around the commercial facility was the ‘scent’. There were more stores than expected that specialized in perfume, as well as fragrance products and various fragrances that add fragrance to indoor spaces. Fragrance specialty brands that are difficult to find in Korea, such as Linari from Germany and Teatro from Florence, Italy, also stood out. In one store, a white mist emanated ceaselessly from a small electronic device. It was a method that did not stop at simply displaying and selling products, but also made the sense of smell part of the consumer experience from the moment one entered the store.
The ‘experience of stay’ continued with food. I visited ‘Latte Graphic’ located in Oranda Hills Mori Tower, across from Azabudai Hills. This building was also developed by Mori Building. I tried ‘Chicken Parmesan’ and ‘Double Smørrebrød Lunch’ at the Azabudai branch. Smørrebrød is a Danish-style open sandwich made with various ingredients on rye bread.
Here, you can taste various types of smørrebrød using raw ham, mascarpone, truffle scramble, etc. Inspired by the cafe culture of Melbourne, Australia, this place gives the impression that not only the quality of the food but also the atmosphere of the space where one stays are carefully considered.
From the second floor of Latte Graphic, you can see the entire lower level of Azabudai Hills at a glance. Looking at it from the opposite side, it becomes clearer what effort was put into this development. Even the roof of the building is covered with plants, and passageways for plant management run through the garden. The greening of the lower rooftops and the creation of an orchard are far from simple decorative landscaping.
◇ A city designed with reasons to stay… Comparison with reality in Korea
Gardens, plazas, and walking trails lead people's movement, and shops, restaurants, and cultural facilities naturally connect between them. Azabudai Hills' competitiveness ultimately lies in how long it allows people to stay comfortably.
By adding food, culture, and shopping to green space and relaxation, we designed an 'urban experience' where people walk, rest, and spend time. I was able to get a glimpse of Mori Building's development philosophy at Azabudai Hills, which is to create a reason for people to stay, not just a building.
This philosophy has implications for Korea's commercial real estate market, which has recently fallen into the swamp of 'vacancy graves' regardless of new towns and urban centers. Large-scale redevelopment projects in Korea are still preoccupied with generating short-term profits through ‘piece sales.’
When the developer sells the commercial space to recoup the investment and leaves, the systematic store structure encompassing the entire space disappears, and only exorbitant rents based on high sales prices remain, adding to the suffering of merchants. This is why the gloomy scene of rental banners fluttering all over the streets is repeated.
On the other hand, Mori Building does not sell its commercial buildings to the public, but rather owns them 100% directly and manages them thoroughly in an integrated manner. Instead of giving up short-term sales profits, we chose to carefully select brands that fit the identity of the space and increase the overall asset value by increasing visitors' stay time.
Our reality of empty and neglected shopping malls, and the vitality of Azabudai Hills, where world-class brands are lining up to open stores even without the need to sell their shopping malls, ultimately stem from the ‘differences in vision and philosophy’ toward space.
