Hopkins first completed project in Japan will be the tallest building in Tokyo’s financial centre
On 19 April 2007 the official opening of Hopkins Architects’ Shin-Marunouchi building, a 198m ‘skyscraper’ in the Marunouchi district, will take place. Situated directly opposite Tokyo station, the gateway to Japan, the building is arguably the most important and publicly recognisable site in Japan.
Hopkins Architects were invited to tender for the Shin-Marunouchi through two closed design competitions in July 2001, along with a number of world-renowned architects. They have partnered with local practice MJS (Mitsubishi Jisho Sekkei) to create the tallest of six buildings that make up the complex.
The brief was to build upon an existing, 1952 constructed, nine-storey building in a truly modern style, whilst addressing the historical setting. Hopkins have created an additional 35 floors above ground and four below, offering a total of 195,000 sq metres of retail, public and office space.
The spacious ground floor gives visitors a sense of walking through the streets as they pass under a large arch leading to the entrance to Tokyo Station. A new connection directly into the underground and public transport system has been created at lower ground level. Floors one to seven are the commercial zones of the building and will house more than one hundred and fifty retail stores, offering meeting and relaxation rooms, gym and changing facilities in addition to office space. Floors nine to thirty-seven have been pre-leased as office space to a collection of high profile Japanese and international companies.
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