Main author
Michael BrooksFuji TV Building, Tokyo
See the Unusual building of the week series here.
The Fuji TV Building is one of the most bizarre buildings in Japan. It is located in the waterfront area of Tokyo’s Minato district. The ultra-futuristic building was designed by the architect Kenzo Tange and completed in 1997. It serves as the corporate headquarters of the Fuji Television Network and houses several studios.
The 25-storey building consist of two towers connected by three enclosed pedestrian bridges, called ‘sky corridors’ which are supported by four steel columns. The corridors help to strengthen the overall structure, making it highly earthquake resistant.
The centrepiece of the building is the titanium silver ball which measures 32 m in diameter, and weighs 1,350 tons. Inside the ball is an observation platform which is open to the public, offering unobstructed views of Tokyo and Mount Fuji.
Raising the ball into place was a major engineering challenge which took a total of 9-and-a-half hours. It was balanced horizontally on, and supported by, three beams, before being raised to its finished height of 123 m by hydraulic jacks.
The studios inside both towers are insulated against the noise from the surrounding transport infrastructure and radio waves from ships passing in and out of the bay area. Acoustic performance was increased by using glass wool insulation for the studio floors, walls and ceilings.
[edit] Find out more
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- Building of the week series.
- Calakmul Corporate Building, Mexico.
- CCTV Headquarters.
- Gate Tower Building, Osaka.
- Guangzhou Circle.
- Habitat 67.
- High-tech architecture.
- Kobe Port Tower.
- Lloyds of London.
- Office Center 1000 Kaunas.
- Megastructure.
- Metabolism.
- Ministry of Transportation Building, Georgia.
- Nakagin Capsule Tower.
- Phoenix International Media Center, Beijing.
- Robot Building, Bangkok.
- Unusual building design of the week.
- Wonder Egg, Japan.
Featured articles and news
Not buildings. Happy holiday from DB.
Future Homes Standard: Industry calls for more ambition
As the Government FHS consultation finally closes.
Improving government projects with data and AI
Enabling better outcomes, efficient modern delivery and influential leadership on government projects.
BSRIA Living Laboratory Innovation Challenge
Final days for submission, closing March 29.
Windows, their frames, forms, factors and functions.
The hidden subtleties of U-Value calculations
Different contexts and what to include as variables.
A brief run down with related articles.
Electrical sector calls for safer public EV charge points
Serious concerns about electrical safety in the public domain.
Building Blocks manifesto presented to parliament
Architects Declare call in for support of five critical policies.
The four elements of project management with APM
Analysis, expectations, collaborative communication and partnerships.
City of London launches Heritage Building Retrofit Toolkit
Empowering owners to initiate necessary adaptations.
Guidance on RAAC in listed buildings
Published by Purcell, endorsed by IHBC, SPAB and C20.
Learning from the past.
Reluctance to hire people with criminal convictions revealed
Employing People with Criminal Convictions Report.
Tackling unconscious bias; Women's History Month
Personal reflections, as the last week of March approaches.