- 2019-2023
- Tokyo
- Meguro
Nestled between Manhattan’s towering skyscrapers lies Paley Park, a tiny green space scarcely larger than a postage stamp. At its centre, tall black locust trees stand in neat rows, casting shade over evenly spaced tables where people relax. It feels like an urban oasis, a world away from the city’s hustle and bustle.
Within the site of the MEGURO MARC complex in Meguro, we designed a pocket park placed in a triangular space surrounded by a tower and office building. Before starting the project, as I looked at the site plan I had been given, I vaguely recalled Paley Park, a place I had instinctively wandered into when I was tired of walking around New York.
We have always liked parks where trees are planted in a grid. Each tree stands with plenty of space, allowing its unique character to shine through. The black locusts of Paley Park, the horse chestnuts of the Luxembourg Garden, the ginkgo trees of the Meiji Jingu Gaien, the plane trees of Shinjuku Gyoen – for MEGURO MARC, we chose the katsura tree. In summer, its leaves grow thick and provide shade; in winter, they fall, allowing warm sunlight to pour through. The fallen leaves give off a sweet scent, reminiscent of caramel or cotton candy.
We proceeded to draw a triangular grid along the plot, planting katsura trees at equal intervals.
Around them, we placed wide, doughnut-shaped furniture that comes in four heights—23 cm, 38 cm, 72 cm, and 90 cm—gradually changing from row to row along the grid. Benches, tables, ottomans, picnic mats, beds, stages, steps, and play equipment—though uniform in shape, each height lends itself to a different use. We are drawn to parks with depth, where we discover new possibilities the more we engage with them.
We’ve been reflecting on what makes a park neither too imposing nor too bland, and we hope to keep on reflecting on it.
Category：Park
Architects：DOMINO ARCHITECTS
Graphics：Mina Tabei
Project Design：Tone & Matter
Construction：Takenaka Corporation
Production：Koshii Woods
Photography：Gottingham
Videography：冨田了平
#landscape, #furniture, #park, #playful, #playset, #geometry
Choreography : ima theater
photo courtesy of MEGURO MARC
