Original Hokkaido landscape features welcome fans and locals through all seasons.
{"autoplay":"true","autoplay_speed":"8000","speed":"1000","arrows":"true","dots":"false","loop":"true","nav_slide_column":5,"rtl":"false"}
{"autoplay":"true","autoplay_speed":"8000","speed":"1000","arrows":"true","dots":"false","loop":"true","nav_slide_column":5,"rtl":"false"}

DETAILS

LocationHokkaido, Japan
ClientHKS
Size3,567,246 sf

This project includes a new ballpark for Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, the surrounding landscape, and surrounding future development parcels, in Hokkaido, Japan. Inspired by the stadium’s architecture, which responded to a building type original to Hokkaido, the design incorporates indigenous landscape features, including a 100-year forest and a ravine, while accommodating programs and developments that contribute to the local economy. SWA also provided site design of key landscapes, such as a ravine forest park where fans and locals can enjoy “glamping,” ice skating, kayaking, and restaurants on the water. The two main plazas address the Fighters’ character and celebrate original landscapes with signature paving reminiscent of historic farm fields, and soaring, sensitively grouped trees.

Related Projects

Texas A&M Kyle Field Renovation

Completed in 2015, Kyle Field represents the most extensive redevelopment of a collegiate athletic facility ever. Inspired by the theme “The Home of the 12th Man,” this project embodies the belief that at Texas A&M, fans don’t just watch the game, they affect the game. SWA worked closely with Populous to create the best college football experie...

Dickies Arena

Dickies Arena is a multi-purpose facility located on the Will Rogers Memorial Center campus and a certified LEED Silver project. The 17.5-acre site provides more than enough space for the arena to host a multitude of entertainment events without reaching issues of overcapacity. Visitors can attend concerts, sporting events, family shows, conventions, and even ...

Walmart Home Office

As Walmart evolves in response to a changing workforce and focus on sustainability, the company’s new Home Office campus in Bentonville captures these values over 350 acres—both a blueprint for ecologically sensitive campus design and a renewed anchor at its origin in the Ozarks. More than a headquarters, the campus is a major regional investment for Northwest...

Peanut Plaza

One of the most dangerous intersections at the gateway into downtown Washington DC was targeted for significant improvement. Prompted by the demolition of a Wendy’s restaurant and new road alignments to ease traffic congestion, SWA/Balsley was hired to create a memorable new gateway experience and usable, inviting parks in the newly acquired public land. The t...

The Memorial at Harvey Milk Plaza

Harvey Milk Plaza is located in the heart of San Francisco’s Castro Neighborhood, and hosts one of the city’s busiest transit hubs. The plaza has been the site of countless gatherings and protests, including a candlelight vigil the night of Harvey’s untimely death and the White Night riots, which were sparked by the leniency of the sentence handed down to his ...

China Beach

China Beach acts as an amphitheater to take in the drama of the San Francisco Golden Gate: the ebb and flow of the wildlife, currents, tides, winds, fog, sun, surf, and marine traffic. Ultimately, this larger landscape and the landscape features of a refreshed beach terrace will be the defining experience for the visitor to China Beach. We are striving to prod...

Fort Wayne Riverfront

As a city that was built and thrived because of its location as a crossroads between wilderness and city, farm and market, the realities of infrastructure both natural and man-made are at the heart of Fort Wayne’s history. We consider waterways as an integral part of open spaces of the City, forming a series of infrastructural systems that affect the dynamics ...

Minute Maid Park

The much-anticipated ballpark for the Houston Astros, which opened in 2000, includes approximately 42,000 seats, a retractable roof, an attached micro-brewery, and tour bus drop off. SWA, along with Rey de la Reza Architects, designed the entire ballpark site from the building to the curb, including the remodeling of historic Union Station, now part of the sta...