Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building: Information from Answers.com

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building 東京都庁舎

Information
Location	Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
Coordinates	35°41′23″N 139°41′32″E / 35.68972°N 139.69222°E / 35.68972; 139.69222
Status	Complete
Groundbreaking	1988
Constructed	1988–1991
Opening	1991
Use	Prefecture building
Height
Roof	242.9 meters (797 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	48
Floor area	27,500 m² (296,000 ft²)
Cost	Yen ¥ 157 billion
Companies
Architect	Kenzo Tange

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (東京都庁舎, Tōkyō Tochōsha^?), also referred to as Tokyo City Hall or Tochō (都庁) for short, houses the headquarters of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, which governs not only the 23 wards, but also the cities, towns and villages that make up Tokyo as a whole.

Located in Shinjuku, it held the title of the tallest building (by roof height) in Tokyo, at 243 meters (799 feet), from 1991 to late 2006, when it surrendered its title upon the completion of Midtown Tower. The two top-floor panoramic observation decks are free of charge to the public and contain many gift shops. They are open till 11 pm on weekdays. Use of cameras is permitted, but tripods are forbidden.

The building consists of a complex of three structures, each taking up a city block. The tallest and most prominent of the three is Tokyo Metropolitan Main building No.1, a tower 48 stories tall that splits into two sections at the 33rd floor. The building also has three levels below ground. The design of the building (which was meant to resemble a computer chip), by architect Kenzo Tange (and associates), has many symbolic touches, most notably the aforementioned split which re-creates the look of a Gothic cathedral.

Finished in 1991 at the expense of 157 billion yen (about US$ 1 billion) of public money, a popular nickname for Tochō is "Tax Tower".^{[citation needed]}

The other two buildings in the complex are the eight-story Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Building (including one underground floor) and Tokyo Metropolitan Main Building No.2, which has 37 stories including three below ground.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

Records
Preceded by Sunshine 60	Tallest building in Japan 243 m (797 ft) 1991–1993	Succeeded by Yokohama Landmark Tower
Preceded by Sunshine 60	Tallest building in Tokyo 243 m (797 ft) 1991–2007	Succeeded by Midtown Tower

Skyscrapers in Tokyo

Completed:

Over 300 m	Tokyo Tower (333 m, 1958)

200–300 m	Midtown Tower (248 m, 2007) · Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building No. 1 (243 m, 1991) · NTT Docomo Yoyogi Building (240 m, 2000) · Sunshine 60 (240 m, 1978) · Roppongi Hills Mori Tower (238 m, 2003) · Shinjuku Park Tower (235 m, 1994) · Tokyo Opera City Tower (234 m, 1996) · Shinjuku Mitsui Building (225 m, 1974) · Shinjuku Center Building (223 m, 1979) · Saint Luke's Tower (221 m, 1994) · Izumi Garden Tower (216 m, 2002) · Shiodome City Center (216 m, 2003) · Dentsu Building (213 m, 2002) · Shinjuku Sumitomo Building (210 m, 1974) · GranTokyo North Tower (205 m, 2007) · GranTokyo South Tower (205 m, 2007) · Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower (204 m, 2008) · Shinjuku Nomura Building (203 m, 1978)

180–200 m	Shin-Marunouchi Building (198 m, 2007) · Harumi Island Triton Square Tower X (195 m, 2001) · Nihonbashi Mitsui Tower (195 m, 2005) · Sannō Park Tower (195 m, 2000) · Sompo Japan Building (193 m, 1976) · Nittele Tower (193 m, 2003) · Sea Tower (192 m, 2008) · Mid Tower (192 m, 2008) · Acty Shiodome (190 m, 2004) · Shinjuku I-Land Tower (189 m, 1995) · Atago Green Hills Mori Tower (188 m, 2001) · Cerulean Tower (184 m, 2001) · Sumitomo Real Estate Shinjuku Oak Tower (184 m, 2002) · Century Park Tower (180 m, 1999) · NEC Supertower (180 m, 1990) · JA Building (180 m, 2009) · Park City Toyosu Building A (180 m, 2008) · Keio Plaza Hotel North Tower (180 m, 1971)

Under
construction:

Tokyo Sky Tree (611 m, 2011) · JP Tower (200 m, 2011) · Nishi-Shinjuku 8-chome Naruko Area Redevelopment (196 m, 2011) · Kachidoki View Tower (192 m, 2010) · Higashi-Ikebukuro 4-chome Redevelopment Project (189 m, 2011)

Buildings listed in order of height and with year of completion
See also: List of tallest buildings and structures in Tokyo · Category:Skyscrapers in Tokyo

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