Land object. Tokyo, 2018

This proposal was developed for a competition to revitalize a narrow residual site alongside a railway line in Tokyo through the introduction of public amenities, including a public restroom. Rather than treating the site as leftover urban space, we saw it as an opportunity to create a civic landmark. Historically, the region was one of Tokyo’s rare nineteenth-century brick production districts. Although traditional load-bearing brick construction is no longer permitted in Japan due to seismic regulations, this local history became the starting point of the project. We were also inspired by Roman aqueducts—structures that have outlived their original function yet continue to enrich cities nearly two thousand years later. The proposal explores how such an urban artifact could be reinterpreted in contemporary Japan. While a steel structure was required to meet seismic standards, it enabled proportions impossible in traditional masonry while preserving the motif of the arch. A sequence of brick arches gradually diminishes in height, transforming into a stepped landscape that disappears into the ground. Beneath the arches are public restrooms and small civic spaces, while the highest point becomes a pocket park. Conceived as a Land Object, the project was imagined as a contemporary urban artifact that may quietly endure and acquire new meanings over time.

Images : Archiee studio