Architect: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates
Developer: Mori Building

Roppongi Hills is another integrated residential development by Mori Building. It is in stark contrast with Omotesando Hills with its 54-story high tower that house retail, hotels, offices and apartments as well as a few parks.

Architect: Tadao Ando
Developer: Mori Building

How does it fit into Tokyo?

The contrast of this internal street against the grand Omotesando Avenue is what Tokyo is all about: a constant transition from wide to narrow, monumental to intimate…

Tokyo is made up of such a multitude of experiences that it is impossible to sum it up in words.

In a poor attempt… Tokyo is dense and sparse, grand and small, wide and narrow, tall and petite, fashion and scruffy, charming and unappealing, beautiful and ugly, heavy and light, colourful and grey, varied and uniform, old and new, complex and simple, chaotic and orderly… it’s a city.

The objective of this trip was to bring the new batch of architecture students out of their comfort zone. The 3 day travel & sketching around Bangkok is an unforgettable experience. While the buildings and temples visited were grandiose, one cannot help but notice the dichotomy that exists between urban & rural life at the fringes of the city.

To me, Bangkok is the typical Asian city where chaos reigns and growth is according to needs. That is what gives Asian cities their authentic vibrancy, character and life. This is exactly what Singapore lost on its path to modernization… the ability to generate authentic experiences.