Torch Tower Breaks Ground

Currently Japan's tallest building is the Azabudai Hills Mori JP Tower, which reaches the height of 330 meters (1,083 feet), followed by the 266m (872') tall Toranomon Hills Station Tower, which was designed by OMA/Shohei Shigematsu and is slated to open this month. Mori Building Co., Ltd. is behind the developments those two towers are part of, while the 63-story Torch Tower is the anchor project for Tokyo Torch, a mixed-use redevelopment near Tokyo Station being carried out by Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd. 

A groundbreaking ceremony was held at the end of last month for Torch Tower, according to The Japan Times. World-Architects covered the development exactly two years ago, looking at the two towers that will make up Tokyo Torch but focusing on Torch Tower, both for its record-breaking height and its design features. The design of the tower, with a noticeable fissure near its apex, is credited to Sou Fujimoto and Yuko Nagayama, with Fujimoto responsible for the upper section of the tower and Nagayama designing the base. Earlier this year, Yuko Nagayama & Associates celebrated the opening of the 48-story Tokyu Kabukicho Tower.

The mixed-use Torch Tower will house offices, a Dorchester Collection luxury hotel, and an observation deck, while the pedestal will have shops and an entertainment hall with seating for 2,000. A large plaza next to Torch Tower will be shared with the 38-story, 212m (695') Tokiwabashi Tower, which was built in 2021 as part of the Tokyo Torch redevelopment but was designed by the Mitsubishi Group's in-house architect (Ulf Meyer called it “bland” relative to Torch Tower). Furthermore, the plaza links to the lanscaped promenade along the nearby Nihombashi River.