“Tokyo Sky Tree” will appear in the Narihirabashi/Oshiage area of Sumida Ward, Tokyo in 2011. Boasting a height of about 610m, the tower will be one of the world’s tallest. In July 2011, the current analog broadcasting will end and a complete transition made to digital broadcasting. Five commercial stations and NHK took this as a turning point to advance preparations towards digital broadcasting from a TV tower with a height of around 600m and decided on the Sumida/Taito area as the site for construction of the tower. In addition, for “one-segment broadcasting (one-seg),” a digital broadcasting service for mobile devices that was launched in April 2006, it is ideal to have transmissions from a height that is not very vulnerable to the forest of super high-rise buildings that stand at heights of around 200m in downtown Tokyo. Expectations are also on the tower to serve the role of a tower equipped with disaster prevention features. At the foot of the new tower will be a “town with a tower” spans about 400m from east to west, connecting Oshiage Station and Narihirabashi Station, and encompassing an area of about 3.69ha. A networking plaza leading from Oshiage Station to the tower lobby on level four of the facility, three plazas in front of the station and along Kitajukken River, and Shinsui Park will form a community environment where visitors and nearby residents will gather.

Mimar: Tadao Ando / Proje: Tokyo Sky Tree, Japan / Tarih: 2011