Danish architecture studio BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group together with Japanese car company Toyota, has unveiled TOYOTA WOVEN CITY as a "prototype city of the future" with wooden buildings and autonomous vehicles Toyota near Mount Fuji in Japan. It will be the studio's first project in Japan and is set to start on site in 2021.
Envisioned as a living laboratory to test and advance mobility, autonomy and connectivity, the first phase of Woven City development on the site of a former car-factory will be home to 2,000 people who will test the vehicles, robotics and smart homes in a real-world environment to bring people and communities together in a future enabled by technology yet grounded in history and nature.
Located at a 175-acre former factory site in the city of Susono in Shizuoka, Toyota Woven City creates a new equality among vehicles, alternate forms of movement, people and nature, streamlined by the promise of a connected, clean and shared mobility. The city will utilize solar energy, geothermal energy, and hydrogen fuel cell technology to strive towards a carbon neutral society, with plans to break ground in phases beginning in 2021.
The Woven City is conceived as a flexible network of streets dedicated to various speeds of mobility for safer, pedestrian-friendly connections. The typical road is split into three, beginning with the primary street, optimized for faster autonomous vehicles with logistical traffic underneath.
The buildings at the Woven City will advance mass timber construction. By combining the legacy of Japanese craftsmanship and the tatami module with robotic fabrication technology, Japan’s construction heritage lives on, while building sustainably and efficiently into the future. A mix of housing, retail and business – to be built primarily of carbon-sequestering wood with photovoltaic panels installed on the roofs – characterize each city block, ensuring vibrant and active neighborhoods at all times of the day.
Residences in the Woven City will test new technology such as in-home robotics to assist with daily living. These smart homes take advantage of full connectivity using sensor-based AI technology to perform functions such as automatic grocery deliveries, laundry pick-ups or trash disposal, all while enjoying spectacular views of Mt. Fuji.
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Courtesy of © BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group
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