U-Place

Mixed-use office as new gateway to the city

This 12-story urban mixed-use project offers a dynamic program that features hotel stacked on top of office and retail, in addition to plentiful public space. With adjacency to multiple modes of transit and several civic destinations, this project is a new gateway to the City and a catalyst for future growth.

At a Glance

Project Type

TOD, Hospitality, Office, Mixed-Use, Retail

Location

Kawagoe, Japan

Size

312,000 sq ft

Services

Architecture
world map
The project site is within a short walking distance to the train station and just an hour's ride from downtown Tokyo.
The project site is within a short walking distance to the train station and just an hour's ride from downtown Tokyo.
The ground floor retail street cuts through the project, providing important linkage to civic developments nearby.
The ground floor retail street cuts through the project, providing important linkage to civic developments nearby.
We identified two categories of occupant: the visitor and the local. The visitor is impermanent and will mostly frequent the hotel and the retail, while the local is a fixture and will come to the office for work or retail to shop.
We identified two categories of occupant: the visitor and the local. The visitor is impermanent and will mostly frequent the hotel and the retail, while the local is a fixture and will come to the office for work or retail to shop.
retail alley diagram

The retail street that runs through the project and connects it its surroundings was designed from the start as an intimately scaled street offering stores and cafes geared toward women and families, somewhat of a counterpoint to more traditional bar alleyways that are geared toward men.

retail alley
A grand staircase decked out in wood connects the office floors and adds to the vertical porosity and connectivity.
A grand staircase decked out in wood connects the office floors and adds to the vertical porosity and connectivity.
landscape area diagram

The project's positioning as a beacon of light within the neighborhood is carried through as a metaphor for the landscaping. We worked with Chandrani to introduce landscaping elements that enhance the elements already in existence around them, Hardscape and softscape elements are kept minimal in order to emphasize the dominance of light fields.

01 - Festival Plaza
02 - Alley of Lights
03 - Starlight Gardens
last image

The ground level provides an important connection to the urban fabric, while the corner entry and other thruways reinforce the project as a node and a gateway to this region of Kawagoe.

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