Namba Parks in Osaka, Japan, is an amazing piece of architecture, a place where you’ll spend half your time shopping and the other half admiring its design. Namba Parks was conceived when Osaka’s baseball stadium closed down.
American architect Jon A. Jerde was given the responsibility of creating a gateway that would redefine Osaka’s identity. Being next to Kansai Airport, Namba Parks is one of the first places that visitors to the city see.
Jerde designed Namba Parks as a large park and an oasis amidst Osaka‘s dense urban streets. But what really makes Namba Parks stand out is its rooftop garden that gradually ascends eight levels as it flows past a number of city blocks. It gives the passersby the feeling that they are standing amidst groves of trees on a mountaintop, waterfalls, streams and ponds while they are actually right in the middle of the city.
Namba Parks is a combination of a mall, park and a circular path flowing through the shops, entertainment spots and dining venues. The park is developed on terraces on the roof of the shops, evoking the shape of the gardens of Babylon. It is a stunning achievement in ambition and innovation.
