Detail of theTokyo Forum

//||\\ Tokyo International Forum Tokyo, Japan, 1996 DESCRIPTION CREDITS The Tokyo International Forum, commissioned by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, is a unique civic complex that accommodates cultural performances and business events. Located at the nexus of four subway lines and two major train stations, the site generates significant pedestrian traffic. The intent of the design was to provide full access for the public and protection from the impacts of the surroundings. A granite perimeter wall encloses a landscaped plaza that extends under four performing arts spaces suspended above. The theater lobbies overlook the plaza which serves as civic space and visually filters into the Glass Hall, a large glass enclosure with a dramatic 750-foot-long truss that hovers above. At night, light reflects off the surface of the ribs and transforms the structure into a monolithic floating light source, illuminating the Glass Hall and profiling it in the skyline. Under the plaza, a public concourse, which connects to the rail networks, wraps around an exhibition hall and becomes the main floor of the Glass Hall. Bridges and pedestrian ramps connect conference rooms to the theaters and provide total flexibility. The 35 x 16-foot Yurakucho Canopy, the world’s largest free-standing glass structure, shelters a staircase leading to an underground rail station and forms a key entrance to the complex. The Glass Hall, one of the most daring structures ever built in Japan, consists of two intersecting glass and steel ellipses, which enclose a vast central lobby and unite the elements of the complex. This structure is composed of seven stories above ground and three below. The 197-foot-high laminated glass curtain wall was designed to be transparent, visually connecting the theaters and plaza to the conference center. Tokyo International Forum Tokyo, Japan, 1996 Civic, Commercial, Performing Arts, Convention Center Completed 140,000 sq meters - (1,506,960 sq feet)