Marunouchi
Tokyo International Forum
30.06.2009
Visited the Tokyo international forum, the building itself is very impressive, by Rafael Vinoly Architects, who won the 1989 International Design Competition, which was the first international architectural competition in Japan. I really liked the Design, the main hall was huge and spacious, the steel beams supporting the roof give the building a skeletal feel. The exterior to the building was also interestingly designed. The plaza leads into the main building which houses two theatres, one of which is one of the largest in the world, over 6000 square metres of exhibition space, several conference rooms, restaurants and shops. The plaza is paved in granite with a large swathe as you walk towards the International Forum building which is paved in glass blocks and lit from underneath which change colour at intervals. The effect of the glass paving give the plaza an identity the minute you step into it, its a very cool effect. There are also trees dotted around the plaza in a way which you do not often see in the UK, seemingly random, but beautiful. And seating in unusual forms of blob- like sculptures imitating stones or actual stones/ rocks, placed sometimes in pattern with each other (eg. a circle surrounding a tree (bottom)) and sometimes alone. The effect of the placement of trees and objects in the plaza, is that the space seems to demand your attention, you can't simply walk straight through- you notice.
Tokyo International forum. By Architect Rafael Vinoly.
Tokyo International forum plaza.
The Micheal Jackson lit paving.
examples of the stones/ rocks and seating around the plaza.
