Koichi Takada on the race to redesign the CBD
Australian Design Review
28 September 2020
Architect Koichi Takada uses his Urban Forest residential development to imagine the tranquility and restorative powers of a rural retreat within a bustling cityscape.
“It is possible to design buildings that reconnect people with nature even in densely populated, inner-city locations,” says Takada.
The founder and principal of Sydney-based Koichi Takada Architects takes his cues from nature, harnessing light, solar and wind energy in ways that enable his designs to echo nature rather than constrain it. His ambition is to uncover ways to swap out “dead materials” like concrete, steel and glass for… Read more
Architects Rally to Reduce Built Environment Emissions
The Urban Developer
30 September 2020
The federal government is being urged to back a national plan towards zero carbon buildings, incentives for the private sector and adopt minimum standards for the energy performance of buildings in a bid to accelerate the transition to a carbon-neutral economy.
The call comes as the government announced a new $64.2 million in funding to be included in the upcoming Federal Budget, which the Australian Institute of Architects says is the first step towards improving energy efficiency and seeing the full potential of the built environment Read more
Brisbane’s proposed ‘Urban Forest’ looks like a Green Paradise
GQ
18 September 2020
Brad Nash
A high-rise tower playing host to over 20,000 plants.
Ironically enough at a time when many cities are trying their best to cram as many people into a confined space as possible, other companies are busy at work trying to figure out a way of making Australia’s urban sprawl a naturaistic paradise once again. Most major architectural projects unveiled these days have some kind of green element to them, from the plants you see growing out of Sydney’s Central Park, to the timber-clad Atlassian HQ.
But a new design for a building proposed… Read more
Koichi Takada unveils plant-covered Urban Forest housing high rise for Brisbane
Dezeen
16 September 2020
India Block
Urban Forest is a 30-storey apartment building covered in thousand trees and plants that Koichi Takada Architects has designed for Brisbane, Australia.
The mixed-use high rise building owned by developers Aria Property Group will include 392 homes, a two-level rooftop garden and a public park at ground level.
Urban Forest will be covered in 1,000 trees
Australian studio Koichi Takada Architects plans to cover the stepped facade with 1,000 trees and 20,000 plants, in a combination of over 250 species native to Queensland.
The architecture studio and developers are attempting to make Urban Forest the “world’s greenest… Read more
Koichi Takada Unveils World’s Most Dense Vertical Gardens
Archdaily
September 9th 2020
by Christele Harrouk
Urban Forest, a 30-story mixed-use residential high-rise is the latest development designed by Koichi Takada Architects. Located in South Brisbane, Australia, the building features one of the world’s most densely-forested vertical gardens, going beyond regular green buildings norms and achieving “300% site cover with living greenery, featuring 1000 plus trees and more than 20,000 plants selected from 259 native species”. Increasing biodiversity and reducing the ecological footprint, the structure highlights another stage in the evolution of the architectural vertical garden.
Submitted for planning approval, the Urban Forest project is part of a new global movement of Vertical planting… Read more
Getting ahead of the curve
Domain
05 September 2020
Elicia Murray
Architect Koichi Takada describes the view from a curvaceous new apartment building on the lower north shore as “like living inside a picture-perfect postcard”.
“You have Bradfield Park in front of you and the iconic engineering masterpiece of the Harbour Bridge,” Takada says. “To the side, there are glimpses of the Sydney Opera House and, of course, the harbour.”
Aqualuna Milsons Point from developer Zone Q Investments is a collection of 63 apartments in an eight-storey building inspired by the organic lines of the harbour. Takada, one of Australia’s most in-demand architects, is… Read more
Koichi Takada Architects unveils ‘Urban Forest’ high-rise planned for Brisbane
Designboom
03 September 2020
Lynne Myers
Koichi takada architects has shared a first look of their latest project – a new mixed-use residential tower planned for the cultural precinct of South Brisbane, Australia. designed with the ambition of being the world’s greenest residential building, the ‘urban forest’ project features a host of sustainable design strategies alongside a densely-forested vertical garden.
Designed for Aria Property Group, the program of the 30-story building includes 382 apartments, a two-story rooftop with garden and residential amenities, and an open public park on the ground level. at… Read more
Death of Architecture
INSIDE Magazine
Issue 110 – July / August 2020
Elisa Scarton
Born in Japan, based in Sydney, architecture Koichi Takada has breen championing nature in the urban form for decades. Now, he says it’s essential to the industries survival.
“We try to sit on a bench and it says, ‘Please do not sit.’ Or, ‘Make sure you keep a 1.5-metre distance’. The rule completely destroys the idea that open spaces are the most idealistic way to connect architecture or any building to the public domain. I call it the death of architecture.”
Koichi Takada doesn’t have a flair for… Read more
Koichi Takada talks about how COVID-19 has changed how we design
Architecture & Design
24th July 2020
by Branko Miletic
Koichi Takada is a member of a new generation of architects that aim to ‘naturalise’ architecture in the urban environment – an approach he developed after living in cities of high urbanisation: Tokyo, New York, and London.
In this interview, Takada talks about his latest projects, why bringing the ‘outside-in’ is the new black, and how COVID-19 has altered human activity for god and what this means for architects and designers both here and abroad.
Click here, link to the broadcast interview.… Read more
The dos and don’ts of custom joinery
Style Curator
21st July 2020
Custom joinery gives you the ability to tailor design to suit your personality, lifestyle, and space, and is an investment that can completely transform and add value to space — both aesthetically and functionally.
In this article, Jessica Ball, Senior Interior Designer at Koichi Takada Architects shares her insights on the dos and don’ts of custom joinery.
“I’m passionate about the possibilities and benefits of custom joinery design. Whether it’s a custom kitchen, in-built bookshelf, or study area, custom joinery allows freedom to use existing space to its advantage. It allows greater freedom in creativity… Read more
