Excerpt: SHANGRI-LA in Oita, a landscape design project by SAKO Architects, transforms a playground into a dreamy paradise merging nature and play. It features the Spiral Terrace, with cascading water and white walls inspired by Baishuitai’s limestone terraces, and the Sky Loop, a circular aerial walkway framing the sky. A gradient of blues and greens blends seamlessly with the surroundings, creating a serene, immersive play space.
Project Description
[Text as submitted by architect] This project involved the renewal of a children’s playground located in a corner of a large commercial facility. The architects created a beautiful and enjoyable paradise, “SHANGRI-LA,” that will remain in the memories of children.
Spiral Terrace: A 25-year-old zelkova tree was preserved, placing it at the center and expanding a spiral water surface around it, resembling terraced rice paddies. The pure white side walls and water bottom resemble the beauty of the limestone terraces of “Baishuitai” in China’s Shangri-La.
The three-dimensional freeform walls undulate vertically, featuring circular peepholes at the upper bends and passageways to adjacent loops at the lower bends. Water vigorously rises, creating a pleasant sound on the water surface, inviting children to play.
Sky Loop: Encircling the “Spiral Terrace,” the architects installed a circular aerial corridor called the “Sky Loop.” This open space allows visitors to feel the vast sky and overlook the playground. It connects the upper and lower floors while forming a circulation pathway on the lower floor. The existing eaves space in front of the shops has been expanded to provide a comfortable shade for visitors.
By gradually arranging six shades of blue and green as the vertical bars of the handrails, a beautiful image of the sky, water, and greenery was created. Each color was selected to resonate with the clear blue sky, the vegetation of the nearby hills, and the colors of the existing building’s exterior walls and roof.
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