Kengo Kuma's Cultural Village for Portland's Japanese Garden opens to the public
– Kengo Kuma
Kengo Kuma’s US$33.5m US$33.5m (€31.3m, £26.2m) expansion of Portland’s Japanese Garden, celebrated as one of the most authentic of its kind gardens outside Japan, has opened to the public.
The project, Kuma’s first public commission in the US, has seen the creation of a new Cultural Village that provides additional space to accommodate the attraction’s rapid visitor growth and immerses visitors in traditional Japanese arts and culture.
To honor the singular experience of each visitor “and ensure the serenity is protected for future generations”, Kuma followed his trademark design principles of continuity between nature, natural materials, and Japanese tradition.
In collaboration with the Garden’s curator, third generation master garden craftsman Sadafumi Uchiyama, he reused and optimised existing land to add 3.4 acres of usable space to the 9.1 acre property.
The Village emulates Japan’s ‘monzenmachi’, the gate-front towns that surround sacred shrines and temples, using a combination of locally sourced materials and Japanese craftsmanship.
Many of the new structures feature living roofs, which absorbs rainwater and prevent water run-off and evoke the thatched roofs of fishing huts from centuries ago in Japan.
Meanwhile, a medieval-style Castle Wall has been recreated at the west end of the Village by 15th-generation Japanese master stonemason Suminori Awata using 800 tons of local granite.
A new courtyard for seasonal activities, performances and demonstrations is surrounded by several new LEED-certified structures, including an intimate cedar Umami Café, that frame the wider Garden.
“Given its proximity to nature, Portland is unlike any place in the world,” said Kuma. “This new Cultural Village serves as a connector of the stunning Oregon landscape, Japanese arts and a subtle gradation to architecture.
“Working with the Garden has influenced my approach to future projects, especially integrating green and wood. For example, the National Stadium in Tokyo will be rich in vegetation, evoking a feeling of forest in the city.”
Steve Bloom, chief executive officer for the attraction, added: “In this increasingly plugged-in, distracted world, we find many of our guests seek out the peace and respite they find within the Garden. With this new Cultural Village, we will extend the Garden’s legacy and purpose, providing a heightened sense of tranquility, a more robust educational experience and preservation of significant cultural traditions and art forms.”
Kuma’s other new facilities for the Garden include:
• The Jordan Schnitzer Japanese Arts Learning Center is home to new gallery spaces, a multi-purpose classroom, the Garden gift store and the Vollum Library, a comprehensive resource on Japanese gardening and related arts
• A new Garden House, where an expanded offering of horticulture workshops will take place.
There are also three new gardens designed to demonstrate a wider array of Japanese garden styles and techniques, including:
• The Entry Garden with cascading ponds and a water terrace at the entry in Washington Park
• Tsubo-Niwa (small vignette garden) in the Tateuchi Courtyard
• Ellie M. Hill Bonsai Terrace
• The Bill de Weese Chabana Research Garden, which will grow flowers for tea ceremony and host demonstrations, furthering the Garden’s education focus.
Portland Japanese Garden was created in the late 1950s on the site of the old zoo after then mayor Terry Schrunk and members of the Portland community were inspired by the growing cultural ties between Oregon and Japan. The concept was “to create a garden of great beauty and serenity, while forging a healing connection to Japan on the heels of World War II.”
Kengo Kuma Cultural Village Portland Portland Japanese Garden Oregon
Snøhetta to revitalise Portland waterfront with masterplan for Oregon Science museum
Kengo Kuma to redesign Portland’s Japanese Garden
BIG unveils Eve Music Hall as Croatia venue nears completion
Bob Rogers hands BRC to long-serving leadership team
Wellness care hospital opens in Vilnius with innovative spa and hospitality concept
Universal and Puy du Fou projects point to rise of Oxford–Cambridge corridor
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’ planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism investment.
For years, the corridor has been associated primarily with science, technology, housing and university-led economic growth. However, the clustering of large-scale visitor attraction projects along the
All-inclusive eco-wellness development Auko to open near Vietnam’s Son Doong caves
Shedd Aquarium upgrades its visitor experience with new Immersion Theater
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional revenue opportunities.
The attraction has transformed the aquarium’s Phelps Auditorium into a multi-sensory venue combining panoramic projection, environmental effects and interactive technology.
A new pre-show area allows visitors to engage with augmented reality marine animals before entering the
Mandarin Oriental announces standalone Mansions-branded residences for Abu Dhabi
MCR is planning a luxury hotel for London's BT Tower
Joy as a radical act: Yinka Ilori launches solo exhibition celebrating the rebellious power of spreading happiness
Work gets underway on Madrid's €800 million leisure complex
Work is underway in Madrid on one of Europe’s most significant multi-functional complexes, combining sport, entertainment, culture and education.
The €800 million initiative to regenerate the former Olympic Aquatic Centre in the north-east of the city, next to the Riyadh Air Metropolitano stadium, is being led by Barsento – a joint venture between Live Nation Entertainment, Oak View Group and Atlético de Madrid. The project will
Therme Manchester reveals 90:90 strategy – 90 per cent of the UK population within a 90-minute drive of a Therme
Four Seasons’ Naples Beach Club opens 2,800sq m Sanctuary spa inspired by indigenous Calusa people
Orient Express Corinthian to host Ocean Rebirth wellness retreat in collaboration with Guerlain
Famed London nightclub, Tramp, launches Tramp Health
First look: Miraval opens on the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia
Hainan Science Museum by Ma Yansong, opens in China
A new science museum has opened to the public in Haikou after attracting more than 350,000 visitors during a four-month soft opening period.
Designed by Ma Yansong and his practice MAD Architects, the Hainan Science Museum is located on the edge of Wuyuan River National Wetland Park and has already recorded peak attendance of more than 5,800 visitors in a single day.
Commissioned by
Zannier Île De Bendor launches with design by Hardel Le Bihan Architectes
Sæl Spa readies for launch in London: “a modern British sanctuary”
Immersive art bathhouse Submersive announces debut location in Austin
Construction begins on regenerative wellness destination The Shenandoah Nature Resort
Royal Caribbean reveals record-breaking cruise ship
V&A East opens in London
David Geffen galleries open at LACMA
New venue The Lands by Capella includes a longevity centre to complement sister hotel Capella Sydney
World of Frozen launches at Disneyland Paris
Pical Resort by Valamar reveals first Croatian spa under the ESPA brand
Mandarin Oriental creates end-to-end Egyptian journey with two new hotels and first-ever luxury river cruise
Designers Mendil + Meyer launch new division called Lām Concepts for strategic wellness projects
Wilderness Bisate in Rwanda reveals brand’s second Sanctuary spa
4a Architekten shares details of wellness extension at Salinarium Bad Dürkheim Thermal Spa
Designed to restore neglected land and renew the identity of Iraq’s capital city, Baghdad Sustainable Forests promises a new way of living surrounded by nature. Gensler’s Ian Mulcahay tells us why he thinks the project could become a model for the repair and enhancement of urban centres
