“Tokyo Review 057” Shibuya area-12
Unusual space on the second floor of Shibuya Stream
Along the Shibuya River side of Shibuya Stream, there are cozy shops facing outside selling lemonade, and etc., making an atmosphere of the bustle street. On the second floor, there is also a space like an alley that formerly existed in Shibuya. On the both sides of the aisle with about 6m to 8m width, there are restaurants which layout furniture, tableware and ornaments sticking out into the aisle.
When I see the floor, I could recognize that there are two parallel lines on the floor that are slightly curved. Indeed, this was where the Tokyu Toyoko Line’s Shibuya Station existed. Perhaps the position where the track was equipped is symbolized in a faithful manner.
When you go a bit further north of this aisle, you will be in a semi-outdoor space, and you can find ginkgo-shaped objects on the wall. They have curvilinear trussed roof, and the upper side of the wall panels are curving along the roof, making it look like shapes of hearts. These seem to be designed after the “Kamaboko (=processed fish paste) roof” which was the symbol of the platform of Tokyu Toyoko Line created by Junzo Sakakura.
Walking on this aisle, we can pass under the Metropolitan Expressway No.3, and at the same time, pass over the route 246, bringing you to the south entrance of Shibuya Scramble Square, also to the connecting bridge to Shibuya Hikarie. From the midst point of these three complex facilities directly connected to Shibuya Station, you can see the signs of Shibuya Stream in the south, Shibuya Scramble Square in the north, and Shibuya Hikarie in the east at a glance.
The Urban Core of Shibuya Stream is situated here with an independent feature that leads you to and from the sidewalk above ground, with a futuristic glass-covered design. You can see a huge signboard of Google which has the head office in Shibuya Stream. It seems that Tokyu has stuck to attracting Google even if it was vacant for one year after completion, and seems to have great expectations for the development of the “Bit Valley Chapter 2”.
I think that the sequence of spaces from Shibuya Stream to Shibuya Scramble Square and Shibuya Hikarie is one of the most symbolic spaces of the Shibuya Massive Developments. I look forward to seeing how these spaces will be connected with platforms of the JR Yamanote Line, Saikyo Line, Shonan Shinjuku Line and Narita Express, and how these spaces will be changed in the future.