ingenhoven architects completes 'vertical garden city' with two towers in tokyo

two green skyscrapers by ingenhoven architects

Ingenhoven Architects celebrates the completion of two skyscrapers in Tokyo. Together, the two new buildings introduce residential and office programming to the city, with the office tower rising thirty-six stories and 185 meters (607 feet), and the residential tower rising 54 stories and 220 meters (721 feet) to become Japan‘s tallest residential building.

The two skyscrapers now flank the Toranomon Hills Tower, one of the tallest buildings in the country, and are characterized by their cascading lower levels covered in lush plantings. Each of these three towers are interconnected by bridges and a gardened plateau, all publicly accessible outdoor space one level above the street.

images © ingenhoven associates / HGEsch

the towers are woven into tokyo’s urban fabric

With the completion of these towers in Tokyo, Ingenhoven Architects has become the first German practice to build in the Japanese capital since 1895 — the last being the headquarters of the Japanese Ministry of Justice by Berlin architects Hermann Ende and Wilhelm Böckmann.

This milestone project shows a forward-thinking design, described by the architects as a Vertical Garden City, which is interwoven with rich plant life as well as with its surrounding urban context. While introducing a contemporary intervention, the towers integrate and respect the existing Toranomon Hills Tower and even reflect the historic gardens of the nearby Atago Shrine which dates back to 1603.

The sustainable and resilient design

Designing in Tokyo, the team at Ingenhoven keeps in mind such natural occurrences as earthquakes and typhoons. While the structures are largely shaped by these considerations, the architects look toward ancient temple buildings as precedent, structurally configuring the towers to ‘passively dampen seismic vibrations.’ Meanwhile, both towers can be characterized by a stack of decks and balconies, which act as sunshades for those levels below. Ample space is reserved for greenery planted up to the office tower’s seventh level and residential tower’s eleventh level.

The team notes: ‘The total green area of the ensemble is approximately 7,800 square meters and includes numerous tall trees. This achieves a green replacement rate of 64.5% and a CASBEE ‘S’ rating — the highest level in this classification.’

the stacked levels reserve generous space for greenery

a landscaped plateau connects the two towers and the existing Toranomon Hills Tower

large, overhanging decks serve as sunshades for the levels below

the total green area of the complex is approximately 7,800 square meters

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project info:

project title: Toranomon Hills office and residential towers

architecture: Ingenhoven Architects | @ingenhovenassociates

location: Tokyo, Japan

completion, office tower: 2021
completion, residential tower: 2022

photography: © ingenhoven associates / HGEsch

GFA office tower: 173,000 square meters
GFA residential tower: 121,000 square meters
green area, office tower: 5,390 square meters
green area, residential tower: 2,420 square meters
sustainability certificate: CASBEE S

client: MORI Building Co. Ltd, Tokyo
main contractors: Obayashi Corporation, Tokyo, Japan (office tower); Takenaka Corporation, Tokyo, Japan (residential tower)
design architect: ingenhoven associates, Düsseldorf
Ingenhoven Associates team: Christoph Ingenhoven, Martin Reuter, Kenta Mabuchi, Soichi Kadokawa, Kenzo Nakakoji, Sho Ito, Leonardo Micolta Diaz
project architect: Irie Miyake Sekkei, Tokyo Japan (office tower); Kume Sekkei, Takenaka Corporation, Tokyo Japan (residential tower)
structural design: Yamashita Sekkei, Tokyo, Japan (office tower); Takenaka Corporation, Tokyo, Japan (residential tower)
landscape architecture: ingenhoven associates, Düsseldorf
consulting landscape designer on site: Townscape, Tokyo
lighting design: Sirius Lighting Office, Tokyo
interior design: Tony Chi Associates, NY, USA (residential tower)