Dentsu Tower
Tokyo
Ateliers Jean Nouvel

The architect's first skyscraper uses simplicity to stand out

© Philippe Ruault

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Architect Jean Nouvel writes: "Architecture begins in the interior, with the pleasure of living." In a sense his skyscraper, built for the Japanese advertising giant, Dentsu, is an effort to create as pleasurable an interior space as possible. Nonetheless, the planning of the exterior is equally remarkable.

The architect strove to create an office building that emphasizes three main comforts: climate, acoustics, and aesthetics. The building achieves acoustical comfort by means of carefully designed floors and ceilings. For climatic comfort, the architect created a hierarchy of facade protection based on orientation, using thermodynamic facades, thus eliminating heat build-up. Largely glazed plateaus and an extremely flexible ceiling that accommodates diverse lighting possibilities help attain visual comfort. Adding to the manuverability of the project, the placement of the interior furnishings and partitions create various configurations.

The exterior also reflects comfort. Its gray, crescent shape does not impose on Japan’s skyline. Rather, the building is positioned so that its silhouette—as seen from the Shinbashi station, Ginza’s principal avenues, the Bay of Tokyo, and the Hamarikyu Imperial Park—expresses simplicity, sobriety, and elegance. The eastern facade of the building is made up of large, vertical, sun-protection blades that create a strong impression when seen from Ginza’s principal avenues and mirror the image of the bay. The southwest facade is made of different kinds of glass which, like the shadow of a sundial, create a rhythm on the façade. Terraces mark the principal levels of the atriums and their placement approximately every ten floors identifies the separate spaces associated with Dentsu’s different companies. The northwest façade features views of the atriums, inviting one to enter.

Formal name of Project:
Dentsu Tower

Location:
Tokyo

Gross sqaure footage:
2.5 million sq ft

Total construction cost:
$761 million

Owner:
Dentsu

Architect:
Ateliers JEAN NOUVEL
10, cité d’Angoulême
75011 Paris
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