Tall & Urban News

The last vestige of Hotel Okura’s modernist presence is in line to be demolished as redevelopment plans surface for the Hotel Okura Tokyo’s annex (South Wing).

An environmental assessment for the Roppongi Itchome Project was submitted to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government with plans for a 180-meter-tall, 43-story apartment tower, and a 115-meter-tall, 21-story office tower. The two buildings will have a total floor area of 111,000 square meters (1,194,000 square feet), of which almost 60 percent will be for residential apartments.

Construction is tentatively scheduled to start in 2021 with completion by 2024 – 2025.

Hotel Okura Tokyo’s main hotel building opened in 1962. The modernist masterpiece was designed by Yoshio Taniguchi. Despite the outcry from architectural fans, it was demolished in 2015. The new hotel will open in a high-rise glass tower in September this year. The adjoining 388-room annex, built in 1973, has continued to operate. It is expected to operate until 2020.

The Toranomon/Roppongi district has a resident population of 13,600 as of 2018, a 5.7 percent increase since 2014. The Roppongi 1 Chome address, where this project is located, has a population of just 2,464 due to the limited supply of apartments. However, this address has seen a 6.7 percent increase in population over the past four years.

Toranomon is undergoing a massive transformation over the next 5 – 10 years; area developments include:

• A new subway station on the Hibiya Line that will connect directly to Toranomon Hills. Partial operation of the new station is expected sometime in 2020.
• The Okura Tokyo. The new 508-room hotel will be replacing the old Hotel Okura. This is a ¥110 billion (US$1 billion) project that includes a 188-meter, 41-story tower and a 75-meter, 17-story tower including the new hotel and office space.
• Tokyo World Gate. A 180-meter-tall office/apartment/hotel building located just south of the Hotel Okura Tokyo. Completion is scheduled for 2020.
• Toranomon-Azabudai District Redevelopment. A 3-tower mixed-use project by Mori Building covering an 8.1-hectare site. It will include a 323-meter, 65-story apartment and office tower with a penthouse of over 1,000 square meters (10,760 square feet). Completion is tentatively scheduled for 2023. This project has been 30 years in the making.
• Mori Building is also constructing three new high-rise office and apartment towers around their Toranomon Hills tower. The ¥400 billion (approx. US$3.6 billion) project is expected to be completed by around 2022 or later.

For more on this story, go to Japan Property Central.