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
We're expanding our collaborative mission by launching DB Intelligence, an exclusive market research advisory panel. Built environment professionals can now get paid to share their expertise on industry trends, products and services.
Panel members receive direct financial incentives for participating in research projects like short surveys, 1-2-1 interviews and focus groups. Register today to shape the future of the construction sector.
Planning condition discharge in England and Wales
A brief exoplanation from a building compliance expert, with further links.
Overheating guidance and tools for building designers
Guidance for dealing with element of building fabric control that have increasing importance.
Shading for housing, a design guide
From the Good Homes Alliance and British Blind and Shutter Association.
UK Standard Skills Classification (SSC)
A shared framework for describing skills needs.
Social media ban consultation comes to close
CIOB urges UK Government to consider social media’s role in careers guidance in ban debate.
The latest of eight Skills England apprenticeship units
The addition of battery manufacturing welcomed by ECA with a warning about the risks of fast-tracked apprenticeship units.
Building Control Independent Panel final report
A precis of a key report led by Dame Hackitt with full recommendations and link to the government response.
Building Safety recap April, 2026
A short and longer run-through of the month, with links to further information and sources.
CIAT May 2026 briefing.
From medieval scribes to modern word art.
ECA welcomes crackdown on late payment and push for clean energy, whilst CIOB seek fixed cladding removal timeframes.
Cyber Security in the Built Environment
Protecting projects, data, and digital assets: A CIOB Academy TIS.
Managing competence in the built environment
ITFG publishes new industry guide on how to meet the ICC principles.
The UK's campaign to reduce noise pollution: Mythbusting, articles and topic guides.