This massive mixed-use complex was constructed on the remains of a hillside whose earth had been used for a huge landfill project for the Osaka Bay area. The design reconstructs the landscape that had been destroyed but also, through the idea of rebirth and reconstruction, serves as a memorial to the thousands who had lost their lives and the destruction of land in the massive earthquake that shook the Kobe region in 1995. The complex is vast in scale, yet the design manages capture the small quiet moments for which Ando is known.
This video was created as part of Jonathan Jarvis's thesis work in the Media Design Program at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.
I'm totally sick of the pervasive references to the economy in the media and advertisements, but this is worth a look.