Land of the Rising Fun: Skypark Shows the Magic in the Margins

In the densely packed urban landscape of Tokyo, where every square metre of land comes at a premium, a project in Shibuya shows how overlooked spaces can be reimagined to serve multiple community functions. Australian-based Jackson Teece was involved in the facade design process in collaboration with Japanese architectural firms Nikken Sekkei and Takenaka Corporation. Shibuya Miyashita Park has become a case study in vertical urban development that’s influencing projects globally. The site—a narrow strip of land caught between a busy road and one of Tokyo’s many railway corridors near Shibuya Station—was previously little more than “a bit of a carpark with a skate ramp and a few different trees”, Jackson Teece director Daniel Hudson tells The Urban Developer . Today, it is a multi-level commercial and recreational development that serves thousands of visitors in one of the world’s busiest urban districts. “The idea was to take that sliver of land and lift it above the ground by three or four storeys and then revitalise that parkland on the rooftop of this retail centre,” Hudson says. The project near the second busiest train station in the world is at a nexus of urban activity not far from the famous Shibuya crossing where thousands of people cross with each change of traffic lights. ▲ The park is between Shibuya and Harajuku stations in Tokyo. From underutilised space to a ‘park in the sky’ What makes Shibuya Miyashita Park distinctive is its vertical layering of functions across its 330m length. The rooftop park includes a range of recreational facilities: futsal (small-sided soccer) courts with grass surfaces, beach volleyball courts, a skate ramp reminiscent of the one that had occupied the site, and a climbing wall. “And there’s a few little spots here that you can buy a beer like everywhere in Japan,” Hudson says, pointing out that the space accommodates active recreation and social gathering. Perhaps the most innovative aspect of the design is its incorporation of greenery. A canopy structure spans across sections of the elevated park, “almost like an arbour across the top so as the greenery grows up over the top, it’ll become this sort of space that’s enveloped partially in greenery,” Hudson says. “You get that almost double-value green space idea where it’s all utilisable space, but you’ve got the green canopy basically just growing over the top.” ▲ Jackson Teece director Daniel Hudson. This three-storey landmark retail precinct houses about 90 shops split between the South Block (16,193sq m GFA) and North Block (29,764sq m GFA). The project bridges a public street and connects to pedestrian overpasses that integrates with the surrounding urban fabric. Enticing visitors to ascend multiple storeys to access elevated public space presents a challenge. The Shibuya project addresses this through a combination of architectural elements designed to draw people upward. “We created a gathering point at the end of the site with a distinctive wired staircase designed to pull people up and through the space,” Hudson says. “Of course, we also included escalators and lifts since most visitors prefer those for vertical circulation.” The success of these vertical circulation strategies has been critical to the project’s overall effectiveness. Without compelling and convenient ways to move between levels, Hudson says, the elevated park might have remained as underutilised as the ground-level space it replaced. At the northern end of the development stands an 18-storey tower housing the Sequence Miyashita Park hotel (floors 4-18), which serves as a vertical anchor for the project and contributes to its mixed-use nature. This integration of hotel accommodations with retail and recreational spaces creates a more comprehensive urban destination, Hudson says. Delete A public-private partnership The Shibuya Miyashita Park project is a collaboration between the public and private sectors—a model that Hudson identifies as crucial for similar urban innovations. Developed by Mitsui Fudosan, one of Japan’s largest development companies, the project was undertaken “in the lead-up to the Tokyo Olympics” as part of broader urban renewal efforts. Jackson Teece was commissioned as the design architect for the concept and facade design of this retail and recreational complex. Working with Nikken Sekkei and Takenaka Corporation provided valuable insights into navigating Tokyo’s complex approval processes. “You could imagine what you had to do to get a project like that approved in Tokyo,” Hudson says, adding that local expertise was essential to the project’s realisation. The future of interstitial spaces As cities worldwide face increasing density and competition for space, the lessons from Shibuya suggest that the ability to identify and transform overlooked areas between and around infrastructure may become an increasingly important urban development strategy. Hudson says that better co-ordination between public and private sectors is essential to unlock the potential of these spaces. ▲ Shibuya Miyashita Park adds to limited green space of the area. “A lot of private developers shy away from it because all they see is time and money being spent,” he says. He suggests that dedicated intermediary agencies could bridge the gap between government departments and private developers, helping navigate complex approval processes and co-ordinate between multiple stakeholders. “If there was an agency that could be the mediator between these different government agencies and the private sector, you might see more of these projects unlock,” Hudson says. In Queensland, for example, Economic Development Queensland (EDQ) manages priority development areas, but co-ordination with transportation authorities, rail agencies, and other infrastructure bodies remains challenging. “You need the public-private partnership going on. There might be a privately owned piece of land adjacent to a government-owned piece of infrastructure, and that’s where the opportunity lies.” The challenge, Hudson says, is finding mechanisms to facilitate these partnerships efficiently without excessive costs or delays that deter private investment. The Shibuya project stands as concrete evidence that with innovative design thinking and cross-sector collaboration, even the narrow margins and leftover spaces of dense urban environments can be transformed into valuable community assets. Delete This, Hudson says, can lead to the creation of new recreational opportunities, commercial spaces and green environments where previously there was only infrastructure and underutilisation. The Shibuya experience has permanently altered Hudson’s professional lens, making him constantly evaluate the hidden possibilities in spaces most people simply pass by without a second thought. “When you’re walking around the city, you start to see these underutilised spaces adjacent to pieces of infrastructure with unrealised potential,” Hudson says. “There’s real value that could be created by thinking differently about these spaces.”

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