The project was inspired by two iconic buildings tods building in Omotesando Tokyo and the bird’s nest in Beijing, designed by two innovative architects: Toyo Ito and Herzog & De Meuron . The difference is that tods was conceived with the idea of a free façade that is not structurally driven , which gives more freedom in design, whilst the bird’s nest was conceived with the idea that the façade was the structural element that is both functional and beautiful at the same time .
Tod’s is a substantial L-shaped building that needed to make the most of its narrow facade on Omotesando Avenue, Tokyo’s most prestigious shopping street. Ito’s innovative structure does this through concrete and glass walls in which the tree-shaped concrete limbs are structural, and wrap around the six faces of the building. The visual effect is dramatic .The shape of the concrete limbs is derived from the zelkova trees that line Omotseando Avenue. The architectural power of the non-structural curtain wall in modern architecture was to create the “free facade”. With new technologies for concrete and glass construction, Ito has found a new freedom within a structural wall.
The bird’s nest Construction began on 23 December 2003 and finished in early 2008. To achieve the optimum design, the team relied heavily on parametric design software. This helped to work out the sightlines, the bowl geometry, airflow to keep the grass in good condition, seismic studies and to design the external envelope. While the surface of the structure is simple, the geometry is complex – the calculations were so numerous and complicated that they could not be solved manually. Software was needed to make sure that the web of twisting steel sections fitted together, as they have to twist and bend to follow the surface accurately.
