Takashi Suo completes a winding and suggestive walkway overlooking the Seto Inland Sea
08/01/2023.
[Takamatsu - Kagawa] Japan
metalocus, ANDRÉS BLANCO
metalocus, ANDRÉS BLANCO
Kyoto-based architecture firm SUO, founded by architect Takashi Suo, won the competition to revitalize the Yashima, Japan park area in 2016 with a serpentine pavilion proposal, very much in the tradition of its masters at SANAA, with who have been working for years.
Yashima, located northeast of Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, was designated part of the Setonaikai National Park in 1934. It is called Yashima, or "Cover Island," because of its appearance on the plateau. It is formed by a horizontal layer of hard rock, partially surrounded by steep cliffs, and barely separated from the city by the Aibiki River.
With a height of 300 meters above sea level and an extension of about 5 kilometres from north to south and about 2 kilometres from east to west, it is a place widely used by the local population to walk, climb and observe fauna, flora and landscape. The location opened in the 1970s as a tourist destination surrounded by historical sites (the place was the site of a major battle during the Gempei Wars in the 1100s) and scenes from famous Japanese movies.
Yashima, located northeast of Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, was designated part of the Setonaikai National Park in 1934. It is called Yashima, or "Cover Island," because of its appearance on the plateau. It is formed by a horizontal layer of hard rock, partially surrounded by steep cliffs, and barely separated from the city by the Aibiki River.
With a height of 300 meters above sea level and an extension of about 5 kilometres from north to south and about 2 kilometres from east to west, it is a place widely used by the local population to walk, climb and observe fauna, flora and landscape. The location opened in the 1970s as a tourist destination surrounded by historical sites (the place was the site of a major battle during the Gempei Wars in the 1100s) and scenes from famous Japanese movies.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Ground floor plan. Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO.
First floor plan. Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO.
Sections. Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO.
Takashi Suo's proposal, a gallery approximately 200 meters long, was the studio's first project after its founding in 2015, developed for six years since 2016 and it was officially inaugurated last August.
Initially, the contest requested a series of programmatic pieces, although they left their size, shape and arrangement at the discretion of the contestants. "Basically, they wanted us to think about the possibilities of the plot," explains Takashi Suo. For Suo, dropping a single volume was not the solution. Instead, he used topography and viewpoints to shape a building whose spaces are connected by a continuous corridor.
The building, nicknamed "Yashima Mountaintop Park", allows you to walk through the area through delicate turns that naturally direct visitors' gaze to the different landscapes surrounding it, taking advantage of the spectacular views of the inland sea of Yashima. hedge.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
The winding structure consists of a comprehensive program that aims to revitalize the landscape of Setonaikai National Park. The project incorporates gazebos, closed and open to take advantage of the mild climate of the island of Shikoku, a cafeteria, spaces for events, conferences and exhibitions winding around a central courtyard and six small garden spaces.
One of the most exciting aspects of the proposal is its way of taking root with tradition, transforming the serpentine building with glass walls into a space protected by a gabled roof, formed by tiles made of Aji Ishi, a kind of granite. grey produced in Mure-Cho and Aji-Cho, towns adjacent to Yashima. The local Sanuki Stone Processing Association built and delivered up to 30,000 tiles to realise the “Yashima Mountaintop Park”.
The building, nicknamed "Yashima Mountaintop Park", allows you to walk through the area through delicate turns that naturally direct visitors' gaze to the different landscapes surrounding it, taking advantage of the spectacular views of the inland sea of Yashima. hedge.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
Elevated walkway viewpoint and cultural centre by SUO. Photography courtesy of Yashima Navi.
The winding structure consists of a comprehensive program that aims to revitalize the landscape of Setonaikai National Park. The project incorporates gazebos, closed and open to take advantage of the mild climate of the island of Shikoku, a cafeteria, spaces for events, conferences and exhibitions winding around a central courtyard and six small garden spaces.
One of the most exciting aspects of the proposal is its way of taking root with tradition, transforming the serpentine building with glass walls into a space protected by a gabled roof, formed by tiles made of Aji Ishi, a kind of granite. grey produced in Mure-Cho and Aji-Cho, towns adjacent to Yashima. The local Sanuki Stone Processing Association built and delivered up to 30,000 tiles to realise the “Yashima Mountaintop Park”.
More information
Architects
SUO. Principal architect.- Takashi Suo. Project architect.- Takuya Sone.
Project team
Takuya Sone of SUO and collaboratin architect.- Yoji Komai of Style-A.
Collaborators
Structural engineer.- Mutsuro Sasaki, Yoshiyuki Hiraiwa, Nobuyuki Takimoto, HSC.
Electrical and mechanical engineer.- P.T. Morimura & Associates.
Lighting design.- Shozo Toyohisa.
Furniture design.- Takashi Suo.
Quantity surveyor.- Futaba Quantity Surveyors.
Electrical and mechanical engineer.- P.T. Morimura & Associates.
Lighting design.- Shozo Toyohisa.
Furniture design.- Takashi Suo.
Quantity surveyor.- Futaba Quantity Surveyors.
Client
Yashima Navi. Takamatsu City.
Construction
Taniguchi + Yabuuchi Joint Venture.
Adviser of construction.- Ikumi Toyota.
Adviser of construction.- Ikumi Toyota.
Area
985 m².
Dates
Competition.- 2016.
Completion date.- August 2022.
Completion date.- August 2022.
Location
Summit of Mount Yashima, Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture 1784-6, Japan.
Photography
Takashi Suo. SUO
SUO is a Kyoto-based architecture firm founded by Takashi Suo, in 2015. He graduated from the Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, in 2004. Graduated from Graduate School of Science and Technology, Keio University MA 2006. Worked at Kazuyo Sejima & Associates, SANAA (until 2014). He established SUO studio in 2015.
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