Fukoku برج

Fukoku Tower / Dominique Perrault

Architects: Dominique Perrault Architecture
Location: 2-4, Komatsubara, Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan
Client: Fukoku Mutual Life Insurance Company
Associated Architect: Shimizu Corporation Architects & Engineers
Engineering: Shimizu Corporation Architects & Engineers
Development Director: Mitsubishi Estate Group
Site Area: 3,900 sqm
Built Area: 68,500 sqm (including car park)
Completion: 2010
Photographs: Daici Ano

This tower project for the Fukoku insurance company takes inspiration from the profile of a gigantic tree whose roots proliferate on the surface of the ground. Splayed at its base, the tower’s outline tapers elegantly as it rises, gracing the city’s skyline with a vertical asymptote. The contrast between the structure’s base and upper regions is accentuated by the treatment of the building’s “bark”.

Fukoku Tower / Dominique Perrault (6) — © Daici Ano / DPA / Adagp

Broad “wood chips” on the lower levels gradually give way to a sleek wall. The glass facade is worked into a crescendo of encrusted mirrors at the base, reflecting the colors of the sky and the surrounding environment. Situated at the exit of Osaka’s main train station, the building will become a lasting landmark in the urban landscape.