Nakameguro Visitor Center

Spring 2023 | Instructor: James Lambiasi

In Japan beauty is found in the ephemeral, and the transience of life is embraced. During the brief hanami season, when the cherry blossoms bloom, spirits rise, and the ordinarily quiet shopping street along the Meguro River in Tokyo transforms into a bustling, festival-like atmosphere. This visitor center concept reflects the transformation of the seasons and street space through an exploration of the uniquely Japanese notion of oku, a depth or feeling of inwardness in space. In traditional Japanese villas the oku is the deepest, darkest, and innermost space, reached by an indirect path that frames outward views of a garden. In contrast, this proposal reimagines that relationship in an urban context; the garden is moved to the center, while the most intimate, oku-like spaces are located at the periphery. This inversion reinterprets the traditional spatial hierarchy, offering a new kind of introspective experience within the city.