Shinjuku I-Land 1995

This patio is a tranquil 32-meter diameter sunken garden that sits alongside a 44-story skyscraper. Inside the patio stand four Japanese zelkovas marking the rhythm of the seasons and tables topped by sculpture-esque parasols where anyone can pass the time any time of the day.
The patio needed both tranquillity and a cheerful atmosphere suited for the people who work in the office building. Seeking a public space that possesses a subtle yet ever-present sense of the passage of time, our concept became “design the sensation of time.” But this palpable yet indescribable sensation, sometimes expressed in Japanese as kehai, depends not only on light: we also needed to design sound, smell, greenery, and environmental tools, so for this project we put together a multi-genre design team.