By Deborah Fleck / June 5, 2017 / Dallas News
Japanese culture is flourishing in Dallas. Now, a new building will bring more of Japan to the Harwood District of Dallas. A few buildings there already display samurai art, a passion of Harwood International CEO Gabriel Barbier-Mueller. And there’s also The Ann & Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Museum: The Samurai Collection right across from the new building.
Harwood’s new Rolex Building goes further with a Japanese-inspired tiered garden featuring rampart stone walls at the base with reflecting pools and cascading waterfalls.
World-renowned landscape architect Sadafumi Uchiyama is designing the garden. He’s working with 15th-generation mason Suminori Awata to make sure Japanese techniques are perfected.
Another Japanese connection to the project is the design architect. Kengo Kuma & Associates is working with Dallas-based HDF on the building. According to Harwood’s director of marketing, Jessica Young, it’s the first commercial project to be built in the U.S. and the first commercial building in Dallas to be designed by a Japanese architect.
To celebrate the building of the stone walls and garden, the team had a Joutoushiki, or roof-raising, ceremony.