Azabudai Hills
Azabudai Hills is a complex of three skyscrapers in the Azabudai business district in the ward of Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Upon its completion in 2023, the Azabudai Hills Mori JP Tower in the development became the tallest building in Tokyo and Japan, surpassing Abeno Harukas in Osaka. The complex is also the largest skyscraper development in Japan by floor area while the Azabudai Hills Mori JP Tower currently serves as the largest skyscraper in the world by floor area.
The complex was developed by the Mori Building Company at a project cost of about 640 billion yen. Negotiations with landowners and residents on the site started in March 1989, and the redevelopment was authorised by the government in September 2017. The construction started in August 2019 and was completed in 2023. The architectural firm Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects won the contract for the exterior design of the skyscrapers, while Sou Fujimoto and Thomas Heatherwick were commissioned to design the interiors and the exteriors of the low-level structures respectively.
The complex lies between sister Mori Building projects Roppongi Hills to the west, Toranomon Hills to the east, and Ark Hills to the north. The complex is also directly connected to the Kamiyachō Station of the Hibiya Line and both the Toranomon-Gochōme and Azabudai Hills bus stations of the Toei Bus, while also sharing a close distance to the Roppongi-itchōme Station of the Namboku Line from the northwest.
Design
Tentatively known as the Toranomon-Azabudai District or Toranomon-Azabudai Project, its official name, "Azabudai Hills", was announced by Mori Building on 14 December 2022.Azabudai Hills consists of three buildings: Azabudai Hills Mori JP Tower, Azabudai Hills Residence A and Azabudai Hills Residence B. Mori JP Tower, measuring and featuring 64 floors, was the first supertall to be built in Tokyo. Its appearance was designed to complement the nearby Ark Hills Sengokuyama Mori Tower, a project by the same architect and developer located away. The two accompanying buildings, Residence A and Residence B, measure in height and feature 54 and 64 floors. The three skyscrapers were designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, the firm of Argentine architect César Pelli. Upon completion in 2023, the Azabudai Hills Mori JP Tower became the tallest building in Tokyo, surpassing the nearby Toranomon Hills Station Tower, as well as in Japan, surpassing Osaka's Abeno Harukas.
Accompanying the skyscrapers are a series of low-rise buildings that creates a landscape pergola, designed by London-based Heatherwick Studio. The area is surrounded by lush greenery and features of green space, including a central square, of office spaces, of two-level working space named the Hills House located at the 33rd and 34th floors, and of retail spaces, which features 150 shops. According to Mori, the design embodies the concept of a "modern urban village". Additionally, of cultural facilities will also be included. The complex is also a Platinum-level LEED-certification in two categories, the LEED Core and Shell Development and the LEED Neighborhood Development.
Usage
The project has a total floor area of, including of office space and approximately 1,400 residential units. The main tower is the largest skyscraper by floor area in Japan and the world. The main building, known as the Mori JP Tower, contains office space in lower and middle floors, while residential spaces will be located on the upper floors, from the 56th to the 65th floor, which is named the Aman Residences Tokyo. Some media outlets have reported that the largest units of the residential floors in the main tower were sold for approximately 2 billion yen each. The complex's low-rise residential complex is the Azabudai Hills Garden Plaza Residence, which features 31 residential units located on the 6th to 8th floors of the Garden Plaza B Mall.The lower floors also include a supermarket and a multi-language child care facility, as well as an international school, The British School in Tokyo. It is projected that the complex will house offices for about 20,000 workers and residences for about 3,500 people.