Envisioned as an integrated and human-scaled urban community, the Tokyo Midtown Yaesu Project is a 300,000 square metre high-rise mixed-use development comprising office space, a luxury hotel and an elementary school atop a retail podium and a below-grade transportation hub. It offers direct access to Tokyo Station, one of the most important traffic nodes in Japan.  

The 240-metre tower’s facade is gently curved to subtly contrast with the surrounding buildings. At the Northeast corner, the tower engages the ground to emphasise its verticality and to offer a clear identity for the main entry. Expressed with an articulated louvered facade to provide shading, the exterior form of the elementary school creates a more human scale to integrate it within the adjacent neighborhood.

The curved podium echoes the gentle radius of the tower façade and creates a dialogue with the Yaesu GRANROOF. On Level 1, a public lobby welcomes visitors with a dynamic sculpted wall that emphasizes the pedestrian flow and activity within. The public lobby’s natural forms and warm-toned materials serve as a prologue to the main office lobby on Level 2. Echoing the tower’s gentle curve, the office lobby’s dramatic LED-integrated wooden weave wall embraces both users and visitors. The Level 5 roof terrace with lush landscaping and large trees offers a special urban green oasis where people can intimately experience nature and the changing of seasons. 

PROJECT DETAILS

Project Name: Tokyo Midtown Yaesu

Project Location: Tokyo, Japan

Client: Mitsui Fudosan

Design Architect: Pickard Chilton

Executive Architect: Nihon Sekkei

Gross Area: 300,000 square metres (3,229,000 square feet)

Components: Office space, a luxury hotel and an elementary school atop a retail podium and a below-grade transportation hub

Status: Under construction; completion late 2022

Photos: © Pickard Chilton