Location: Tokyo, Japan
Architect: OMA.
This ambitious mixed-use project’s location is in the Toranomon Hills “Global Business Center,” close to Kasumigaseki, the main hub of Japan, and next to ARK Hills, a lifestyle and cultural hub. Roppongi Hills, the “Cultural Heart of Tokyo,” and Azabudai Hills, the “Modern Urban Village,” are adjacent. The tower will be located at the end of Tokyo’s newly constructed axial artery, Shintora-dori Avenue, which connects Tokyo Bay with the city’s core. An area for living, working, and playing has started to take shape close to the site in the form of a number of freestanding mixed-use projects.
The building’s centre is exposed in such a way as to invite people in, and the core is raised and split to either side of the tower’s foundation. An elevated pedestrian bridge dramatically connects the area’s towers, extending the environment and activities of Shintora-dori Avenue into and through the tower and forming a network of activities and flora. Within is a grand atrium and subway station concourse flooded with natural light, the first of its kind in Tokyo, providing a sense of arrival.