As the architect of this project, I started drawing up plans in the summer of 2006, and after two years I finished the master plan. We are now moving forward with the initial plan and looking ahead to beginning actual construction.
If you were to consider the West, with its history of worshipping the sun, as a ‘culture of the sun,’ then Asia could be considered a ‘culture of the moon.’ That is to say, it is a culture where lifestyles are woven together in harmony with the waning and waxing rhythms of the moon. In line with this, we have developed a moon motif as the design concept of The Pulan (meaning “the moon”), which will be an unparalleled casino resort surrounded by the awe-inspiring nature of Tinian Island. We have injected the essence of the moon into every area of the design, starting with the landscape design that recalls the image of a full moon and the hotel building that symbolizes a crescent moon. I suppose you could also say that environmentally friendly technology, such as the atrium’s giant solar panels and the “Water Ring” that uses stored rainwater, is another example of how we let the motif of the comforting power of the moon guide us.
Sometimes it seems like there is a kind of magic to The Pulan that befits a project named after the moon. It is as if we have been put under the spell of the moon, and we are invoking its power to help us proceed with the project.
With dreams of creating a new time and space at The Pulan...
Shin Takamatsu
April 1, 2008

- Design sketches for The Pulan project
- 1971
- Graduated from Kyoto University, Undergraduate School of Engineering, Department of Architecture
- 1974
- Masters Degree from Kyoto University, Graduate School of Engineering, Department of Architecture and Architectural Engineering
- 1980
- PhD from Kyoto University, Graduate School of Engineering, Department of Architecture and Architectural Engineering
- 1980
- Established Shin Takamatsu Architect & Associates Co., Ltd.
- 1995
- Honorary Fellow, The American Institute of Architects (AIA)
- 1997
- Honorary Member, The Bund Dentscher Architekten (BDA)
- 1997
- Professor, Kyoto University, Faculty of Engineering
- 2001
- Corporate Member, The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)
- National Theatre Okinawa
- Completed: July, 2003
- Location: Urasoe City, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan
- Type of Building: theatre
- Size: 14,700m2
(above ground: 3 stories, basement: 1 level) - Photo:Nacása & Partners Inc.

- Tianjin Great Museum
- Completed: October, 2004
- Location: Tianjin City, China
- Type of Building: museum
- Size: 34,000m2 (3 stories)
- Photo:Jeffrey Cheng

- Kaohsiung Metro Station
- Completed: June, 2008
- Location: Kaohsiung City, Taiwan
- Type of Building: subway station
- Size: 35,000m2
(above ground: 1 story, basement: 3 levels)

- Business Center Tbilisi
- Completed: March, 2008
- Location: Tbilisi, Georgia
- Type of Building: business center, residences
- Size: 16,800m2
(above ground: 7 stories, basement: 3 levels)
