Design Network Associates | DNA

New Campus Landscape Created with the "Grid for Interaction"

Central Park is an open space on campus attached to the new university building, known as CROSS LIGHT, designed by architect Tetsuo Kobori. This project called for a multi-purpose space for students, faculty, and staff to relax, engage in activities, and hold events such as a university festival.

The spaces at CROSSLIGHT organize themselves around a new grid called the "grid for interaction" that is rotated 45 degrees from the existing grid. The "grid for interaction" allows circulation routes and lines of sight to intersect three-dimensionally, creating a variety of activities and interactions inside CROSSLIGHT. We sought to design Central Park where the attractive indoor landscape would extend continuously to the outdoors.

To this end, the key was to determine how we perceive the relationship between CROSSLIGHT and Central Park. We perceived CROSSLIGHT as a building in Central Park, more specifically, a space created by putting a roof over Central Park. Based on the relationship between the two, we thought that the first floor of CROSSLIGHT and Central Park would become an integrated landscape continuous with the ground, serving as a place that triggers diverse activities. The grid of interaction was used as a common framework for CROSSLIGHT and Central Park, which was extended to Central Park to implement the concept of an integrated landscape.

The entire Central Park was planned around the extended grid of interaction. We added functions on the grid serving as the framework, including benches accommodating one or several persons, gutters for rainwater drainage, and uneven stone surfaces to prevent skateboarding. For each location within the grid, we used materials that suit the specific use and purpose. The area with high pedestrian traffic is paved with permeable and walkable material, the multi-purpose area for events and light exercises is covered with soft grass, and the relaxation area for students and faculty is finished with textured tiles. Various flowers and plants that turn color with the seasons, and deciduous trees with beautiful blossoms and autumn leaves, such as cherry trees, maple trees, and katsura trees were planted to create a cozy park-like environment. A Christmas tree was planted in front of Sturges Hall as a symbol tree of Central Park that represents the school's heritage as a Christian school. The vegetation zone along the boundary between the athletic field and the campus serves as a colorful backdrop to Central Park when viewed from the CROSSLIGHT side, and as a vivid "public face" of the university when viewed from the athletic field side.

Using this rigid framework of the grid as the "ground," we created a new campus landscape that integrates with CROSSLIGHT and serves as a symbolic center of the campus, while providing greater tolerance for diverse uses and a comfortable environment.

We expect that the "grid of interaction" continuous with CROSSLIGHT will trigger diverse activities within Central Park, and Central Park will bring greater liveliness and vibrancy to the campus than ever before through the synergy effect. We hope that the liveliness and vitality on the campus will spread to the surrounding areas, and the campus will become a place of great public interest like a park in the future, connecting the university and the local community.