Location: Tokyo, Japan.

Architect: NIKKEN SEKKEI LTD.

The DAIYAGATE IKEBUKURO/SEIBU RAILWAY’s HEADQUARTER BLDG is a high-rise building that stands straddling the railway in Japan. The building is characterized by ‘Bottom section of V-shaped pillars’ and ‘Shell Tower body brace’ and is a symbol of the Seibu Group. The building is designed to be a welcome gate of the city of Ikebukuro and a source of pride for locals and area residents. The building is designed to provide a wide floor workspace, safety, BCP performance, high security performance, and high environmental performance. The building is designed as a large tree that is visible from far away, and the exterior is designed as a motif of diagrams suitable for the Seibu Group’s flagship building. The outer brace structures shape the framework, and integrated design engineering is used to create a reasonable, neat, and carefully elaborate building. The lush greenery around the building provides a tribute reminiscent of the Musashino line and adds tenderness and moisture to the townscape. The building’s exterior is a challenge of pure steel structure high-rise building exterior. The architects and designers challenge to break the norm of putting curtain walls or some panels on the exterior as like as ‘jacket to dress up like the exterior curtainwall panels and cover.’ The building’s structure is designed to be intact, and the exterior design is not intended for the design but for the structural design of the building. The building’s exterior is designed to be a representation of the railroad diagram. The building is a trigger for “Transit Oriented Development” in the city of Ikebukuro. The lack of East-West pedestrian network in the city is addressed by establishing a deck over the railway, and deck with buildings constructed in one piece. The greenly event space facilities and mechanisms are implemented to expand terrestrial networks. The project is priming for TOD and will become the city bustle extends seamlessly.

Photo credit: Nozomu Shimao.