Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
東京都庁舎

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building No.1
General information
Status Complete
Type Prefecture building
Location 2-8-1 Nishishinjuku,
Shinjuku, Tokyo 163-8001 Japan
Coordinates 35°41′23″N 139°41′32″E / 35.68972°N 139.69222°E / 35.68972; 139.69222Coordinates: 35°41′23″N 139°41′32″E / 35.68972°N 139.69222°E / 35.68972; 139.69222
Construction started April 1988
Completed December 1990
Opening April 1991
Cost ¥157 billion
Owner Tokyo Metropolitan Government
Height
Roof 242.9 meters [797 ft][1]
Technical details
Floor count 48
Floor area 195,764 m2 [2,107,190 sq ft]
Design and construction
Architect Kenzo Tange
Structural engineer Kiyoshi Mutō
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building No.2

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (東京都庁舎, Tōkyō-to Chōsha), also referred to as Tochō (都庁) for short, houses the headquarters of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, which governs not only the 23 wards, but also the cities, towns and villages that constitutes the whole Tokyo Metropolis.

Located in Shinjuku, the building consists of a complex of three structures, each taking up a city block. The tallest and most prominent of the three is Tokyo Metropolitan Main building No.1, a tower 48 stories tall that splits into two sections at the 33rd floor. The building also has three levels below ground. The design of the building (which was meant to resemble a computer chip[2]), by architect Kenzo Tange (and associates), has many symbolic touches, most notably the aforementioned split which re-creates the look of a Gothic cathedral.

The other two buildings in the complex are the eight-story Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Building (including one underground floor) and Tokyo Metropolitan Main Building No.2, which has 37 stories including three below ground.

The two panoramic observation decks, one in each tower on floor 45 (202 meters [663 ft] high), are free of charge to the public and contain gift shops and cafes.[3]

History

The building was designed by Kenzo Tange and finished in December 1990 at the expense of ¥157 billion (about US$ 1 billion) of public money. It replaced the former Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building at Yūrakuchō, which was built in 1957 and also design by Tange. The former Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building is now the site of the Tokyo International Forum.

It was the tallest building (by roof height) in Tokyo, at 242.9 meters [797 ft],[1] until the Midtown Tower was completed in 2006.

Though it has not gained the same degree of worldwide recognition as Tokyo Tower or Tokyo Skytree, the Metropolitan Government Building has come to represent the city in its own right. It frequently appears in Japanese science fiction and anime such as Digimon Tamers as a symbol of authority or in type scenes depicting a futuristic or post-apocalyptic Shinjuku. Famously, the building made its first major appearance in the 1991 Godzilla film Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, where it appears in the first part of the film's climactic battle between Godzilla and Mecha-King Ghidorah. The two monsters fight at the foot of the skyscraper, with Godzilla eventually crashing through the building's midsection.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=210
  2. ↑ Kenzo Tange: Multifaceted Colossus Who Mirrored the Era (in Japanese). Nikkei Architecture - Nikkei BP. 2005. p. 118. ISBN 4-8222-0476-6.
  3. ↑ "Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building Observatories". Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
Records
Preceded by
Sunshine 60		 Tallest building in Japan
243 m (797 ft)
1990–1993 		Succeeded by
Yokohama Landmark Tower
Tallest building in Tokyo
243 m (797 ft)
1990–2007 		Succeeded by
Midtown Tower
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