OMA Reimagines Harajuku Quest as a Cultural Gateway in Tokyo

In the heart of Tokyo’s Harajuku district, OMA has completed the redevelopment of Harajuku Quest, a 4,300-square-metre commercial complex that bridges the contrasting worlds of Omotesando’s luxury boulevard and the dense, creative backstreets of Oku-Harajuku.

Designed as part of NTT Urban Development Corporation’s wider revitalisation strategy for the area, the project reinterprets the original 1988 Harajuku Quest building, long associated with the district’s evolving culture of fashion and youth.

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The new design, led by OMA partner Shohei Shigematsu, offers a contemporary form that both respects and redefines the site’s legacy.

On the Omotesando side, the structure is shaped within its zoning envelope, its glass facade subtly pinched and recessed at both the street and roof levels. These setbacks create a passage that draws people from the tree-lined avenue into the more intimate Oku-Harajuku neighbourhood, while allowing daylight to penetrate deeper into the urban block. Toward Harajuku, the building’s mass steps outward into terraces that act as open-air platforms for events and leisure, extending the building’s activity into the surrounding city.

A central feature of the project is a second-level public plaza, envisioned as a civic stage that expands the traditional retail typology. The elevated space serves as both a destination and a connector, accommodating cultural gatherings, exhibitions and casual encounters that blur the boundaries between commerce and community.

By integrating alleys, plazas and pathways, the redevelopment strengthens the pedestrian network established by NTT’s 2020 project With Harajuku. Together, they form a cohesive urban framework that enhances Harajuku’s role as a hub of movement and exchange.

Harajuku Quest stands as a testament to OMA’s ongoing exploration of architecture’s civic dimension within commercial contexts. By mediating between globalised retail design and the fine-grained fabric of local streets, the new complex captures the layered identity of Harajuku itself: a district that thrives on reinvention while remaining rooted in its unique cultural pulse.

Images by Forward via Designboom

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