Takaone

as Architects

Ecological Planning for a Place Where the Town Ends and the Forest Begins. This is a renovation project for a hotel located right in front of Takaosanguchi Station, the terminus of the Keio Corporation Railway’s Takao Line, about an hour's train ride from Shinjuku. The hotel is in a place where the sound of trains departing at dawn and the chirping of birds can be heard. We considered how the hotel should be built where the town ends and the forest begins. While the number of visitors to Mt. Takao is said to be as high as 3 million per year, the area has a variety of attractions, but there are few ways to spend time other than climbing the mountain, and it tends to get dark later in the evening.

photo_credit soichiro suizu — soichiro suizu

The project team, led by Keio Corporation, which is involved in urban development along the mountain, aimed to create a new base for the community, rather than just a hotel. It is a base for rediscovering ways to spend time in the mountains, rivers, and towns of Mt. Takao, where most visitors are day-trippers. It is also an exchange center where local players, such as trail runners and beer brewers who enjoy the lifestyle of Takao, can share the attractions of Takao. It is also a training camp where groups of students and working people can deepen their teaming.

We have created a place that allows a variety of ways for people to spend their time other than staying at the hotel. The terrace facing the street and facing the station platform is a place where cyclists, dog walkers, and others take breaks, and manufacturing workshops are held daily. The first floor, originally a semi-outdoor space, has been turned into an indoor café with a welcome counter for residents and guests to meet. The courtyard is an outdoor space that allows for a variety of activities, and a wood fire made from local trees can be enjoyed daily.

The entire building was designed to be earthquake resistant, as it was necessary to demolish walls to adjust the number and size of rooms and to build a hall to accommodate many people, such as for training camps. The rooms are furnished with fixtures that can be put away to provide a luxurious living room for two guests and a spacious room for a team of nine that can accommodate a variety of activities. Louvered doors at the room entrance allow the wind that flows through the Takao valley to pass through the rooms, and the corridors allow the campers to hear their friends' voices from inside the rooms.

Concrete debris from the demolition, fallen leaves collected from the mountains, and branches and logs from the neighboring mountains were used for the interior and exterior. Respecting the beauty of the weeds that sprout from the asphalt floor and the natural resilience of Takao, the existing asphalt floor was cut to increase the amount of soil and create room for planting. While being conscious of the mixing of species native to Takao and non-native species brought in by climbers' shoes, a shoe-washing place was added in accordance with the etiquette of Mt.Takao. Even so, the plantings on Mt. Takao and the plantings in this compound will continue to change.

photo_credit Shinkenchiku-sha — Shinkenchiku-sha

The management staff, local residents, climbers, firewood, seeds, fallen leaves, concrete debris, prevailing winds, and all the other characters surrounding Takaone are considered events without subject-object relationships, and the network created by these facilities is considered an ecosystem (including human beings), and we have designed a facility that will serve as a base for activities that will better sustain this system. In other words, it is ecological planning with Takaone at its center.