I went to Omotesando Hills earlier today for the public opening, and have put together a Flickr photoset (60 pictures) of some shots I took. Viewing the pictures in a slideshow is nice, but be aware that I’ve also written some info for each one (which you don’t see in slideshow mode). I know there have already been tons of photosets with views of the interior (from the various preview nights), and so I tried to take shots (for the most part) of things I hadn’t really seen yet.
Category: Architecture • Stores • TB.Grafico
Jean,
You still have not given your opinion on the building.
As you know I dislike not only the building, but the thinking that went into it. Like Roppongi Hills it is all noise and no content.
Thankfully, I have moved house so am no longer subjected to its monstrosity on my way to and from work each day.
Here are what I think are the basic errors in the design.
1. The flat wall wall oppresses the streetscape. In effect, it walls off the street
2. There is no public space onto the street
3. There are no significant views from inside to the street
4. The video wall cannot be seen easily from the street — it is too long and for most of the year it is obscured by trees
5. The way the lower edge of the screen is stepped down along the street is jarring on the eye and looks very unprofessional
6. The shops on the front appear squashed down upon by the structure
7. The thick metal window and door frames obscure the view into the stores from the street front
8. Why do the shop doors have to be pulled open by hand?
9. Why are some doors indented and some not?
10. Coming down from Omotesando Station, the first thing you see is a huge public toilet
11. The gratuitous stream that flows in front of the building looks like it comes from the toilet.
12. There is only one newly planted tree in the entire site
13. The faux-doujunkai building looks ridiculous
14. The apartments, particularly those towards the top of Omotesando, overhang the street, adding to the oppressive weight of the building.
15. The way the apartments overhang the main entrance, to me, proves that the building was constucted for purely commmercial reasons.
16. The interior is simply dull.
17. There is no natural light in the interior. So much for the propaganda of “The spiral connecting slope will allow visitors to enjoy indoors the sensation of strolling outdoors”.
18. The color of the panels when not lit does not sit well with the greenery fo the street.
19. The roof-top gardens are not accesible to the public
There’s more, but what’s the point. I fail to see how anyone can be inspired by such a botched job.
Mori’s propaganda promised to create a new Omotesando inside the old Omotesando, but he and Ando (who really should have known better) destroyed the old Omotesando and replaced it with nothing more than a nasty concrete mall and a giant TV.
Simply hideous.
Thanks for taking all these photos.
I’m also curious as to your impression.
The interior reminds me of the Landmark plaza. The wide open space in the middle is undermined by how crowded it is on those narrow pathways. I’ll have to see for myself.
I’ll write a post about my thoughts regarding OH, just haven’t had the time since I got back. First I prepared everything for the Flickr photoset, and now I’m getting set to put a podcast online, so just haven’t had a chance to collect my thoughts, but I’ll get to it tomorrow.
It’s . . . a mall. Just what Tokyo doesn’t need. The old apartment buildings were more interesting, even if they were falling apart. It’s really sad that so many people turn out to see this shit. If this many people came and prevented the bulldozers from wrecking the old apartments, then maybe Omotesando would still be a nice place for a Sunday walk. Now there is no reason to go there at all. I’m surprised they decided to at least keep the trees on the sidewalks.
The sensation I get walking along Omotesando is that an oppressive force is pushing me into traffic (which is probably where I belong). It’s a hulking glass monstrosity that will never be loved.
http://www.omotesandohills.com/information/index.html
Tell me it has any more appeal than the average JR eki-biru.
I noticed the long stairway where the 2 sides of the complex kind of merge into. That was a big mistake and should have been a long ramp to allow for wheelchair access. (not to mention easier on pedestrian legs. Tadao Ando as someone well recognized and respected in the world of architecture really missed this one and hope word gets out that modern architecture also should address the needs of physically disabled. If it had been a ramp he could have set a really good example of designing a modern building to address the needs of the physicall disabled. Does Mori Bldg believe that wheel chair bound residents cannot also be “style conscious urbanites”?
BTW sif omeone tripped and fell down on that long flight of stairs or a wheelchair bound resident complains we could we see lawsuits coming?
I don’t mean to start an arguement, but Mr. Devlin, please don’t use Jeans’s comment space as your soapbox. I’m sure that OH has its problems, but I also believe that it has its positive elements.
jean,
we’re doing a little article, and I was wondering if you could let me use one of your photos from your flikr entry on omotesando hills. It’s the one with no crowd with only blue sky, concrete, and a frosted class railing.
Sure, go ahead.
not only all of that, but Mori is one of the leading “architects” of pollution who is very anti-bicycle. He is one of the leading proponents of this new Tokyo vengence on bikers and non-polluting people.