Tokyo story

Heatherwick Studio's design for Azabudai Hills aims to bring some soulfulness and a slice of wildness to the megacity 

- DANIELLE DEMETRIOU

Spanning 8.1 hectares in the heart of Tokyo, Azabudai Hills is on track to shake up the sprawling cityscape when it opens this autumn. Made possible by three decades of meticulous planning, research and consultation by the Mori Building Company, the ambitious project aims to create a new human-centric paradigm for urban living.

Even by Tokyo’s cloud-brushing standards, Azabudai Hills is enormous. Currently in the final throes of its construction, this ‘city in a city’ will be home to an entire urban cosmos: 1,400 residences, offices for around 20,000 workers, and 150 shops and restaurants, plus a food market, the British School in Tokyo, a new TeamLab museum, Aman’s Janu Tokyo hotel and 11 floors of Aman Residences. It involves an impressive roster of creatives – Pelli Clarke & Partners has created three sleek skyscrapers; Sou Fujimoto designed the retail spaces; and Heatherwick Studio has dreamt up the organically flowing lower- level architecture, connecting the public area components through abundant greenery.