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Shizuoka Press & Broadcasting Offices
3-7, Ginza 8-chome, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
1967
The
volumetric configuration of this building reveals its predecessor. As
in the Yamanashi Press and Broadcasting Center in Kofu (1966),
Kenzo Tange explicitly shows the service shaft on the exterior and adds the "inhabitated" office spaces. This building is much smaller then the mentioned predecessor.
As a result this office tower gets its unique appearance since it is supported by only one cylindrical service shaft, emphasazing its verticality. The infrustructural core, reaching a height of
57 meters, measures 7.7 meter in diameter and contains stairs, two elevaters and a kitchen and sanitary facilities on each floor. The offices and
other spatial units are contained in the glass and steel boxes which cantilever out of the central shaft in seemingly random manner.
Arranged in five groups of two or three modules, a total of thirteen individual offices were connected asymmetrically the the central shaft.
According to the idea of the Metabolism-Movement the building offered possibility for growth. The Balconies which are located between the clusters
were intended for future expansion. In this case there would have been pluged-in additional units. This idea never materialized and the structure
today has the same amount of units as at the time of construction. In architectural terms additional boxes would have been problematic for the balanced composition.
The exterior of the building is finished in dark, oxidized, cast-aluminium plates. Thanks to its spectacular appearance and its location on a small, sharply angled corner site,
the building became a powerful urban landmark in the East-Ginza area of Tokyo, and one of the most iconic projects in the oeuvre of Kenzo Tange.
Kenzo Tange explicitly shows the service shaft on the exterior and adds the "inhabitated" office spaces. This building is much smaller then the mentioned predecessor.
As a result this office tower gets its unique appearance since it is supported by only one cylindrical service shaft, emphasazing its verticality. The infrustructural core, reaching a height of
57 meters, measures 7.7 meter in diameter and contains stairs, two elevaters and a kitchen and sanitary facilities on each floor. The offices and
other spatial units are contained in the glass and steel boxes which cantilever out of the central shaft in seemingly random manner.
Arranged in five groups of two or three modules, a total of thirteen individual offices were connected asymmetrically the the central shaft.
According to the idea of the Metabolism-Movement the building offered possibility for growth. The Balconies which are located between the clusters
were intended for future expansion. In this case there would have been pluged-in additional units. This idea never materialized and the structure
today has the same amount of units as at the time of construction. In architectural terms additional boxes would have been problematic for the balanced composition.
The exterior of the building is finished in dark, oxidized, cast-aluminium plates. Thanks to its spectacular appearance and its location on a small, sharply angled corner site,
the building became a powerful urban landmark in the East-Ginza area of Tokyo, and one of the most iconic projects in the oeuvre of Kenzo Tange.