Towering at a height of 330 meters, Japan's newly-built tallest skyscraper at the heart of Tokyo was unveiled to the media Monday ahead of its opening later this week.
The Azabudai Hills Mori JP Tower, completed this summer by Mori Building Co., beats the previous title holder Abeno Harukas in Osaka by 30 meters and is slightly shorter than Tokyo Tower, the capital's landmark tower standing at 333 meters.
The building is the main feature of the Azabudai Hills complex slated to open on Friday, with the developer aiming to transform and rebuild an area formerly clustered with small wooden homes that were vulnerable to natural disasters, such as earthquakes.
In addition to office space and apartments, the multipurpose complex contains a medical institution operated by Keio University, Aman Resorts' upscale hotel, high-end restaurants, luxury shops and the British School in Tokyo.
"We have integrated various world-class city functions into one place," Junya Yamamoto, an official at Mori Building told reporters. "We have significantly raised the potential of Tokyo."
The signature skyscraper contains a co-working space and a cafeteria specially designed for employees of tenant companies to socialize outside the bounds of their organizations.
About 20,000 people are expected to work in the complex, while 3,500 people are scheduled to live in about 1,400 apartments built on the premises.
The total floor space for the complex is 861,700 square meters, larger than Roppongi Hills, a massive landmark the developer built in the nearby Roppongi district.
Designed on the concept of a "modern urban village," efforts were made for it to have as much greenery as possible with 2.4 hectares, about 30 percent of the total area, reserved for green space, according to Mori Building.
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