SANAA Large Canopy

摘要

The building complex is planned inside an urban park of about 45,000 m~2 as a part of Grand Green Osaka, the second phase of the development project of the Umekita area in Kita Ward, Osaka. We designed the complex to serve three purposes: the semi-outdoor space covered by a large canopy will be used in conjunction with the park for live music and other events; the information center will provide information and general guidance for the park and the town, as well as serving as an event space and a gallery; and the cafe building. The site faces JR Osaka Station (Umekita area) on the east, and the park's open lawn on the west. We devised a large canopy spanning approximately 120 m along the north-south axis to meet the requirements of providing a gateway to the people coming from the station and a comfortable space open to the park. The gently undulating canopy resonates with the park landscape, consisting of the open lawn, a grove, ponds, and a waterfall, providing a covered space for people to travel freely between the station and the park. The large-canopy space is wide open on its east and west sides, while the information and cafe buildings, separately placed under the canopy, have glass facades that slide open to the park, naturally connecting the spaces of the interior, the covered area, and the park.