The land of approximately 1.4 ha with about 250 m of frontage onto the Tama River was a site in a good location close to Seiseki-sakuragaoka Station on the Keio Line, but few people actively used the riverside and it was left abandoned for a long time. The expansive site was divided into Blocks A to C, with three buildings planned—apartment buildings for Blocks A and C and a commercial facility for Block B—and we began urban development from an examination of the master plan covering the three blocks. In addition, building the “waterfront axis” connecting Seiseki-sakuragaoka Station with the Tama River side in conjunction with the construction of Block B was also an important element in the urban development.

In view of the problem that the riverside was not being used to its full potential, we thought that this urban development should form a “node” to connect the Tama River and Seiseki-sakuragaoka Station. We used the urban development concept of a “riverside terrace” with the aim of creating interior and exterior spaces that make the most of the riverside throughout the new town, like “terraces for people to relax and enjoy,” and to generate circulation leading people to the Tama River.

Urban development over a wide area that covers three blocks requires the generation of diversity and a sense of unity. To generate a sense of unity and consistency as a development while allowing the designers to express diversity through their individuality, we decided to establish a fixed design code and organize the project into a single town.To allow for the sense of scale of the vibrant terraces where people can relax, which are scattered throughout the expansive site, the design code for the building includes “breaking up the vertical directions to prevent the walls from appearing too large” and “using natural materials in the lower levels in beige and related earth colors that will blend in with the surrounding nature.” Conversely, the design of the top of the building, which forms the skyline in the wide sky, and the base color of the tower, which is readily visible from both the Tama River and the station, were left as margins for expressing the diversity that forms the individuality of each part. The landscaping has paving materials standardized throughout the entire town as an innovation to render the borders of the blocks invisible, and planting types of trees that are common throughout the project also presents the entire expansive town as a single location.

The high-rise apartment building “Brillia Tower Seiseki-sakuragaoka Blooming Residence (2022)” was planned in Block A, which faces the Keio Line tracks on the eastern side of the town. The block has been provided with a large lawn plaza that is available to anyone, and benches, pergolas, and other mechanisms for vibrancy have been built along its edges. The façade of the high-rise tower has a symbolic design that changes from curves to straight lines and creates a landmark suitable for the entrance when entering Tama City from the direction of Shinjuku on the Keio Line. The commercial facility “Saku Terrace Mall (2023)” was planned on the central Block B to be adjacent to the plaza in Block A. It contains a café, fitness center, childcare, and other facilities. This commercial facility forms the energetic core of the town that includes the apartment buildings on either side, and it generates synergetic effects with the energy of people using the plazas and riverside. Moreover, the second-floor deck of Saku Terrace Mall connects to the pedestrian bridge from the Seiseki-sakuragaoka Station side and has been developed as a waterfront axis to improve access for commercial users, in addition to the apartment residents. The mid-rise apartment building “Brillia Seiseki-sakuragaoka Blooming Terrace (2024)” was planned on District C at the western end of the town, with landscaping planted with many trees to make the town lush, thus forming a space for relaxation where people can enjoy a characteristic space with a large volume of greenery. The façade has a design with a collection of rectangular volumes that continue to the crown of the tower like trees leaning together, building a presence that is broken up while also forming a consistent whole.

We feel that we have succeeded in creating an attractive town that generates circulation to lead people from Seiseki-sakuragaoka Station towards the Tama River. We hope that the aspect of Seiseki-sakuragaoka as a waterside city, leveraging its richly natural scenery along the Tama River, will create even greater vibrancy.

Brillia Seiseki-Sakuragaoka BLOOMING TERRACE
https://www.jma.co.jp/en/works/brillia-seiseki-sakuragaoka-blooming-terrace/

Saku Terrace Mall
https://www.jma.co.jp/en/works/saku-terrace-mall/

Brillia Tower Seiseki-sakuragaoka BLOOMING RESIDENCE
https://www.jma.co.jp/en/works/brillia-tower-seiseki-sakuragaoka-blooming-residence/