NOCO

Abstract

Abstract Ginza is the cultural and commercial center of Tokyo and has a great history as the Mecca of small‐scale handicraft businesses and also as the pioneer of noncombustible cities during the modernization of the Meiji era. NOCO is a commercial building located in the heart of Ginza, the façade of which is totally covered with layered wooden panels gradually changing at intervals. This idea of a wooden façade is the result of an effort to shift pedestrians’ attention from the lower floors to the higher floors while preserving the historical value of Ginza by using a completely natural but new material called “noncombustible wood.” It can be said that NOCO lays the groundwork for returning natural materials and natural colors to the cityscape of Ginza (Figure 1).

Keywords

• Ginza
• history
• material
• nature
• non‐combustible wood
• terrace