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Architectural exploration #1

パレスサイドビルディング

“The palaceside building”
A building where the rhythmically design facade is impressive.

The modern architecture standing side by side of the Imperial Palace is an office building where the Tokyo headquarters of the newspaper “Mainichi” reside since 1966. The design was handled by Nikken Sekkei, Architect in chief in an architectural firm that made other well known building such as 三愛Dream Center (Ginza), Shinjuku NS building (Shinjuku) etc.
Inside the impressive cylindric white building is an elevator, toilets, stairs and the basement is linked to the Tozai line with the Takebashi station. The shape of the building is long and narrow, the ceiling is not too high which creates a more cozy feeling. The ground floors has lots of restaurants and also what we call the “dream stairs” (no fixation poles).
One part of the front facade looks like a boardwalk because of its particular design but it is actually a facade designed to make the evacuation of the rainwater easier.
Nowadays the building is often used as a starting point for runners in their daily running session around the imperial palace, and if you look up at the top of the building you will see a hidden pattern that explain a bit of the origins of the building, but you will have to check it out yourself to understand it.

  • Palaceside building
  • 1-1-1 Hitotsubashi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
    A building where a lot of companies and the Tokyo headquarters of the newspaper “Mainichi” reside. The building was completed in 1966.

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