TOKYO

TOKYO / 2009 2018

"The Prismatic Vegetal Columns" are an alliance between Japanese moss gardens andFrench gardens designed. Extensive sculptural green wall colonized by mosses and fernsindigenous people. The pattern of this retaining structure fits into the rhythm of the glass facade of thebuilding. Alternative rainwater management.

Awards: AIA Prize 2012 (American Institute of Architects PRIZE), Victoires du Paysage 2014, BCS Award 2011. AGENCE SEMPERVIRENS Landscape architects and urban planners

The French Embassy Gardens project in Tokyo is a direct continuation of an approach that is clearly intended to be environmentally friendly and sustainable. This vertical garden combines Japanese moss gardens with formal French gardens.
The project was born from the need to manage a significant difference in level between the facade of the new building and the existing land with a minimum footprint to preserve very large existing trees. The topographical constraint generated work on the verticality which seemed logical to us without however wanting to make "a wall". It was then the in situ observation of Tokyo's natural shade environments along the river that came the idea of making the wall a real ecosystem which would find its balance autonomously by bringing together all the conditions necessary for colonization by pioneer plants, in particular mosses (bryophytes).
Throughout the project, we worked to respect and strengthen Tokyo's natural biodiversity in order to preserve a pristine ecosystem. As a result, a minimum number of trees were cut down.
The specific conditions in Japan, its humid subtropical climate and the strong seismic constraints gave us the opportunity to design a wall that is unique in its composition and construction process.
The operation of this wall remains very simple to ensure its longevity. This surface cladding is also the result of detailed work on the conditions for plant colonization, which led us to establish a grain size and pH implemented during the creation of test prototypes. The objective is therefore to create the conditions to initiate natural colonization. We let nature do its work.
The structure's architecture blends with the building's façade to create a transition between the embassy and nature. Climatic conditions allow for moderate and occasional watering. The water used comes from the building's rainwater storage tanks located under the access ramp.

The embassy is signed by ADP Ingénierie (Architects: Dominique Chavanne PM Delpeuch, Nicolas Moulin, Mabel Miranda) SEMPERVIRENS Frédéric-Charles AILLET (Management: Competition, studies, construction site), Raphaël Favory and Pierre Sarrien (Co-authors); President of the Jury of the Tadao ANDO competition (Pritzker Architecture Prize).

MOA :French state,IMinistry of Foreign Affairs
BUDGET : 2,000,000€
CALENDAR : Delivery 2009 - project follow-up and bryophyte implementation 2018
TEAM : Takenaka, ADPi Dominique Chavanne, Nicolas Moulin, Mabel Miranda
SEMERVIRENS TEAM : Frédéric-Charles AILLET (Direction: Concours, studies, construction site), Raphaël Favory and Pierre Sarrien (Coauteurs), Mihaela stanescu, Floriand Vadjoux, Sylvain Combaluzier.

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