The Level 2 Office Lobby of Y2 Project in Tokyo, with design by New Haven, Conn.-based Pickard Chilton.
Pickard Chilton
Construction is underway on a landmark urban mixed-use project in the iconic Chuo Ward district of Tokyo, Japan. Requiring large-scale development expertise in the exterior design and primary public spaces of what is called the “Y2 Project,” developers enlisted international architecture firm Pickard Chilton, based in New Haven, Conn.
Pickard Chilton is best known for its expertise in the design of large, complex and frequently high-profile structures. They include headquarters of major corporations, high-rise commercial office towers, hotels and academic and health care facilities.
Firm principal William Chilton was among Pickard Chilton representatives attending the traditional Ground Purification Ceremony, which precedes groundbreaking. In the ceremony, prayers are recited for the safety of workers during the building process, for the successful completion of the work and for the prosperity of incoming occupants.
Situated near the historic Tokyo Station’s Yaesu South entry, the development features a 3.3-million-square-foot tower destined to reshape the skyline of the Yaesu district. A below-grade access point will let building occupants directly access Tokyo Station, one of Japan’s most iconic and heavily-trafficked transportation hubs. Within the skyscraper will be office space, a posh Bulgari Hotel and an elementary school situated above a retail level, which in turn will rest above the below-grade transit center.
Capturing excitement
The Y2 Project is being managed by Tokyo-based real estate developer Mitsui Fudosan, operating on behalf of a committee of landowners. Pickard Chilton team members were called on to prepare an architectural concept that distilled the excitement, energy and economic promise of the district encircling the development.
At the outset of the project, the landowner committee stressed critical design mandates, among them enhanced pedestrian ease and retail at multiple levels. Also important to the committee was the creation of green spaces expressly designed to enrich the area environment and provide revivifying natural oases within the urban streetscape.
The result is a groundbreaking, environmentally-friendly design that complements the skyline but also harmonizes with its big-city tableau. The Pickard Chilton design provides the 787-foot-tall tower a gently curving facade that should instantly differentiate it from its neighboring tall buildings. Resembling a ship’s wind-filled sail, the curvilinear design is a nod to the original location of the site. That location put it right alongside a canal that had at one time served as the outer moat of the legendary Edo Castle.
The tower engages the ground at its northwest corner, in so doing serving to identify the building’s main entry and also reinforcing the verticality of the tower. Visitors emerging from lower levels of Tokyo Station will gently ascend through a series of escalators, rising through the retail podium to a roof terrace perched above Yaesu Granroof.
Travel connections
Through its connection to Tokyo Station, the Y2 Project will allow occupants to travel to Haneda and Narita Airports and from there link to a wide range of global destinations. The development is also situated within steps of some of Tokyo’s leading attractions.
“We are honored and privileged to have been afforded the opportunity to work alongside the landowner committee, Mitsui Fudosan, Nihon Sekkei, and Takenaka Corporation on such an extraordinarily important and iconic project for Tokyo,” said William Chilton, principal and co-founder of Pickard Chilton.
“ The significance of the Y2 Project cannot be overstated, as it will redefine the urban landscape for Tokyo Station and the Yaesu district for years to come . It has been a delight to be part of the collaborative team that will realize this innovative urban community that will integrate the new tower within the neighborhood and serve as a welcoming focal point for the entire district.”