This urban redevelopment project is on the site of the former headquarters of Kajima Construction Corporation. Mid-rise twin towers were replaced with 150-meter-tall high-rise with office space and high-end apartments on the upper floors. SWA designed an entry plaza for the building, while providing much-needed green space in this dense neighborhood in the middle of metropolitan Tokyo. The concept is that the new building grows out of a land filled with trees. Within this refuge there are several different spaces offering intimate gathering areas with seating. Gracing a formal entry plaza is a highly articulated terra-cotta archway, “Beyond the Horizon,” by artist Takenobu Igarashi, with whom SWA collaborated. Before it sits a swirling, grade-level water feature also meant for contemplation and to aid in transporting urban dwellers from their everyday chaos. In contrast to the intimate spaces, the plaza is an open and very public space. The water feature is a focal point of the plaza, creating soothing sounds, while reducing traffic noise from a busy four-lane throughway.
Lite-On Headquarters
This major Taiwanese electronics company chose Taipei’s “Electronics Center” overlooking the Gee Long River for their new headquarters. The overall concept is of a 25-story slender tower rising above a sloped landscape podium that covers much of the site. Below-grade parking slopes toward the river on one side, with the urban center on the ot...
100 Altair
As an office infill project in San Francisco’s South Bay region, 100 Altair reflects the shift in framing workplace landscapes. The roof deck functions primarily as outdoor workspaces, sized for large team meetings and private one-on-one conversations, amidst a modern, high-design aesthetic. The project design aims to reach out into its surrounding context, wh...
Guohua Financial Tower
As an integral part of the public realm, the landscape conceptually provides an identifiable, broad-scale platform and framework for the Guohua Financial Tower and its accompanying podium. The design embraces this prominent site by emphasizing its visibility, sustainability, and accessibility, revealing serene spaces for office tenants to enjoy. This concept y...
San Antonio Station
San Antonio Station is a landscape and architectural retrofit project that transforms an introverted site into an open, connected, and flexible campus landscape. Originally Mayfield Mall, California’s first enclosed shopping mall, the reinvigorated site is named after its proximity to a Caltrain station. The property boasts 500,000 sf of ready-built offi...