- Area: 725 m²
- Year: 2016
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Photographs:Atsushi Fuseya
Text description provided by the architects. Following on from the POOL aoyama, THE PARK・ING GINZA is a conceptually constructed store created under the direction of Hiroshi Fujiwara.
When Fujiwara opened the POOL aoyama, he had plans to create a total of three pools: the pool in Aoyama, a pool bar at Isetan in Shinjuku, and a motor pool in an undetermined parking lot.
As the project proceeded, he was given the opportunity to realize the last pool at the Sony Building, which faces Sukiyabashi Crossing in Ginza.
The new space is situated on the third and fourth basement floors of the Sony Building. One notable feature of the space is that it shares the third basement floor with Nishi-Ginza Parking Lot, enabling drivers to park and enter on foot, or even drive into the space itself.
This unique location allowed Fujiwara to realize his plans for a third pool.
Nishi-Ginza Parking Lot is a distinctive structure in its own right. The parking lot runs beneath Sotobori Street, from Sukiyabashi Crossing to Shimbashi Station. It has a capacity of 800 vehicles and has tenants including a rent-a-car station, restaurants and a rest area. As a result, it has an atmosphere that differs from ordinary parking lots in Tokyo.
With an appreciation for the distinct form and atmosphere of the parking lot, we designed the space to function as a store while remaining in harmony with its surroundings.
The store consists of a cafe, retail space and gallery, with no clear boundaries between them. Each section has been designed to be flexible and can host events independently, such as garage sales. The store encapsulates a sense of transience – one of the charms of a metropolis like Tokyo – and constantly provides visitors with surprises.
In order to accommodate the flexible nature of the space, temporary construction materials have been used throughout the interior. These materials resonate with the materials present in Nishi-Ginza Parking Lot. The result is that upon entering the store, visitors get a feel for the parking lot, with its atmosphere and materiality extend into the shop.
While THE PARK・ING GINZA embodies the transient nature of the metropolis, it also presents itself as a distinctively unique space within the chaos of Tokyo.
