The site is located in "Tokiwabashi District", adjacent to one of Japan’s largest stations – Tokyo Station. To effectively utilize the site while allowing the maintenance and upgrading of the functions of the existing substation and sewage pumps, a new international financial and business district with two skyscrapers at its core – the 390-meter Torch Tower, which will be the tallest building in Japan and the 212-meter Tokiwabashi Tower, was envisioned. Tokiwabashi Tower (GFA: 146,000㎡), the first tower to be completed, is a next-generation business complex that provides offices with rentable conference rooms, and a shared cafeteria and lounge to support innovation and diverse work styles aside from the usual retail services and facilities.
By building upwards and placing the skyscrapers closer to the periphery of the site, the large-scale plaza created in the center of the district helps close the distance between Tokyo Station and the Nihonbashi business district physically and psychologically. Facing the plaza, the staggered glass boxes housing restaurants and bars along the green terraces enhances the blending of people’s activities and the city. The curved corner of the tower facing the road intersection was determined by wind environment simulation to minimize the effects of pedestrian-level wind allowing the building to softly connect with its surroundings and hence, draw people in.
The exterior of the tower section is composed of a grid that references the wooden lattices and shoji screens used in the outer skin of Japanese architecture while the metallic color scheme expresses the history of the area where companies dealing with iron were once concentrated in. This creation of a new activity hub within the district will promote cultural exchanges and connections with nearby districts while further upgrades can be looked forward to in the future with the completion of the Torch Tower.