The new scheme is located in the upmarket Kita Aoyama district of the Japanese capital. The design takes its inspiration from a woodblock print ‘Cushion pine at Aoyama’ by the great Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai. The print was created when the area was a green landscape, traditionally occupied by the Samurai.
© Forward Stroke Inc,
The seven-storey development of 15 apartments for NTT Urban Development, responds to its immediate built context in terms of scale and massing, while offering a unique addition to the location. The densely planted, fair-faced concrete and flamed-granite ziggurat structure references the spirit of the Hokusai print, but also creates a green stepping stone within one of the great megacities of the world. This project encapsulates a holistic approach through its architecture and interior design, linked by the spaces running between the various elements of the development, internally and externally. The result is an overall spatial experience, creating a continuous journey from the street to the home through a hierarchy of spaces and layers.
© Forward Stroke Inc,
The apartments are unusually large for Tokyo. Recognising the cultural sensitivities in Japanese culture, the design provides public and private circulation routes and zones within apartments. The building responds to its immediate built context in terms of scale and massing, while offering a unique addition to the location. Both the living spaces and bedrooms offer timber-framed views of the external, planted terraces, the generosity of which is a rare amenity in such a densely populated city.
Project Info
Architects: Conran and Partners
Country: Minato City, Japan
Area: 6098 m²
Year: 2020
Photographs:Luke Hayes
Landscape: Landscape Plus Inc
Design Team: RIA, Shimizu Corporation
Clients: NTT UD
Collaborators: design index, Phenomenon Lighting Design Office
Sophie Tremblay is a Montreal-based architectural editor and designer with a focus on sustainable urban development. A McGill University architecture graduate, she began her career in adaptive reuse, blending modern design with historical structures. As a Project Editor at Arch2O, she curates stories that connect traditional practice with forward-thinking design. Her writing highlights architecture's role in community engagement and social impact. Sophie has contributed to Canadian Architect and continues to collaborate with local studios on community-driven projects throughout Quebec, maintaining a hands-on approach that informs both her design sensibility and editorial perspective.