Idea Factory

This is an international competition with 966 entries around the world in 2003. Our proposal belongs to the finalist. The project locates at the central area in Osaka, the second largest city in Japan. The Japanese central government hopes to revitalize its economy by utilizing the renewal of the North Station Area, which was an abandoned railway freight terminal and the largest central area renewal project in Japan. Our proposal is focusing on the mechanism of producing innovative ideas, based on the analysis of the Japanese economic power and its weakness. The concept of the proposal is Idea Factory, which will continue producing the new ideas which the Japanese industry is eager to seek in order to increase the competitive force and would like to fund the innovative school which is conducted by a combined committee and support the talented from the world to work in the school for four months or so. The railway freight terminal will be transformed to be place with the mixed functions in the central area of Osaka, including the food, hotel, cinema, shopping mall and retail commercial street, as well as an artificial river reflecting the city history, park. The most important components are the studio space, Soho, floating museum, sky bar, rock music theatre, etc, which help shaped an innovative idea producing factory.

The finalist was exhibited in an important art gallery in the city of Tokyo, Japan in 2003.