An open competition by Hawley + Porter.

A proposal to masterplan a large area adjacent to the northern station in Osaka, Japan. The development creates a new recreational and cultural quarter together with the opportunity for academic and industrial technologies to work in partnership. The plan also offers the opportunity to bring residential life back to the centre to provide a rich mix between a living and working environment.

The masterplan is seen as a sequence of enclosures within the landscape. The spaces between the building forms and landscape will allow air currents to be channelled in a controlled way to provide natural cooling breezes during the summer and controlled shelter during the winter months. The roof canopy is used as a unifying device that brings together disparate parts of the development providing: protection from inclement weather, microclimate for sheltered spaces, and indoor-outdoor sensory experience.

The landscape parkland is raised above ground and forms the public plinth on which buildings sit. This allows the site to be accessed at a lower ground level minimising the pollution and noise on the public level.