The Great Tree of the City, green façade of the Osaka Marubiru (都市の大樹)
Umeda, Kita-ku, Osaka
Sources checked October 2026
- Year
- 2013
- Architect
- Tadao Ando
- Type
- Green façade
- Access
- Gone: the building that carried it has been demolished (above-ground demolition completed in September 2024)
A project launched in 2013 at Tadao Ando's call and carried out with the Daiwa House group: the first six levels of the Osaka Marubiru, a cylindrical tower in Umeda, were covered with vines and ivy up to about 30 m, to turn it into a "great tree" and a new symbol of Osaka. The building has been demolished and the green façade no longer exists.
History
The Daiwa House group answered Tadao Ando's call by covering the walls of the Osaka Marubiru (大阪マルビル), a cylindrical tower completed in 1976 in Umeda, with plants. Announced in March 2013, the project planned to green the walls over ten years to make the building a symbol of Osaka. Work began on 5 January 2013 and was completed on 6 June 2013.
Daiwa House decided in May 2022 to rebuild the tower, whose above-ground part was fully demolished in September 2024. The green façade disappeared with it.
Architecture
The walls, from the ground floor to the sixth level, up to about 30 m above the ground, were covered with vines and ivy: the building was conceived as a great tree. At the foot of the tower, the outdoor terrace, planted with a variety of species, offered the public a place to enjoy nature in the heart of the city.
34.70° N, 135.50° E
