cheungvogl: shinjuku gardens, tokyo

rendering of shinjuku gardens’ exterior street view all images courtesy of cheungvogl

in feudal eras, the creation of parks and gardens (not necessarily intended as public spaces) was ruled out by the authoritarian master and urban planning of the imperial leadership. today’s democratic systems, respecting private property and development, are literally incapable of creating further green spaces within a city’s inner boundaries, due to land ownership and costs.

‘shinjuku gardens’ by hong kong-based cheungvogl (judy cheung and christoph vogl) is a social, environmental and urban contribution, solely based on economical profit which deals with the cost of sheltered parking and green spaces within tokyo. rendering of the exterior

‘shinjuku gardens’ is a 2 storey car park – which replaces an existing open one – that doubles the number of spots available for vehicles. considering the relative tightness of the space, ramps are replaced by elevators – within a 2 storey circulation this is feasible, depending on lot-based car-lifting. even by doubling the amount of parking spaces over two levels, the ground area is reduced by one fifth, thanks to a more effective layout which provides more free green space, along with the infiltration of rain water.

‘green cladding’

the structure’s cladding is replaced by wide balustrades, providing the ground for grass to grow and camouflage the car park within. this creates ‘green walls’ which enrich the neighbourhood’s environment with vertical fields of grass, instead of the common view of parked cars. the top of the parkade provides the actual new ‘shinjuku garden’, a green space, publicly accessed – a green oasis above the facility.

the structure’s cladding is replaced by wide balustrades, providing grounds in which grass is grown, creating the exterior of the car park

a view inside the shinjuku gardens car park with neon-light installations

inside there is street art exhibited, making use of the walls which act as blank canvases for young artists. the museum-like approach, which is still close to the subject, shows further the potential of the everyday environment to be an enriching experience which is evident in the typical car park lighting being replaced by neon-light installations.

interior view of the ‘grass walls’