Site

Site

1-24-1 Higashi Nippori Arakawa ward Tokyo, Japan

Around Jomon Era (B.C.14,500 to B.C.1,000) this area used to be under the water. The Nippori area was the only high-leveled land and used to be the cape of Tokyo bay. During the Edo period (1600 to 1867) this area was developed as an agricultural district. After entering Meiji era in 1867, many industrial facilities were erected in the area until the subway started running and the area became a residential district. After WWII, almost 45% of the land was burnt down and both residences and factories were rebuilt again. After 1989, due to the new zoning regulations, many factories left the area. After that the new development as a residential town started.

This area is close to, Asakusa, which is called “shitamachi”, which means the old part of Tokyo. Asakusa is most famous for the Senso-ji, a Buddhist temple was built in 645. There are several more temples in Asakusa, as well as various festivals and old shops that still have the feeling of old Tokyo.

This site is one of the very rare sites in Tokyo that did not experience drastic transformations over time. The important transformations that it went through are the elimination of factories and WWII. The scale of the area remained relatively same, and the most important element to the site, Asakusa went through very limited transformation for 1400 years.

Analysis

This semester

- Site models showing the density in different heights

- The relationship to Asakusa

- The transformation that the site went through

- Figure ground study

- Building use

- Building height

During the break

- light study

- circulation study

- site sections