TOKYO SKYTREE

Description

Essentials about Tokyo Skytree in brief

Tokyo Skytree is a building of superlatives and an absolute must-see on a trip to Tokyo. The tower, which opened in 2012, is not only the tallest television tower in the world with a height of 634 meters, but also the second tallest building in the world after the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. From the tower’s two viewing platforms at 350 and 450 meters, visitors can enjoy a breathtaking panoramic view of the seemingly endless sea of houses in Tokyo and its neighboring cities. Especially at night, when the lights come on in the Japanese capital, the view from Tokyo Skytree is an incomparable experience.

The history and architecture of Tokyo Skytree

The construction of Tokyo Skytree had become necessary because too many high-rise buildings had been built around the 333-meter Tokyo Tower, the city’s previous broadcasting tower, which negatively affected the broadcasting performance of the TV tower. A new, taller television tower therefore had to be built to ensure interference-free transmission of digital broadcasting.

Tokyo Skytree was designed by Nikken Sekkei, the oldest Japanese architectural firm. The groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the tower took place in 2008, and four years later Tokyo Skytree was already completed. Originally, a height of 610 meters was targeted. However, in order to surpass Canton Tower in China in height and build the tallest television tower in the world, Tokyo Skytree was “topped up” to 634 meters. After the 830-meter Burj Khalifa in Dubai, this makes Tokyo Skytree currently the second tallest free-standing structure in the world.

To ensure the tower’s stability in soft ground and during earthquakes, Tokyo Skytree has a special anchoring system. At each of three locations, a grid of steel plates 1.2 meters thick and 35 to 52 meters deep, arranged in a star shape, was sunk into the previously excavated soil. These compaction zones surround a grid of steel piers in conventional soil reinforcement, as well as long floor plates between the three compaction zones. The base of Tokyo Skytree is therefore triangular; towards the top, the transmission tower tapers almost imperceptibly to a cylindrical column. The tower has a two-part structure: an outer steel frame with 37,000 elements encloses an inner cylindrical reinforced concrete column. At a height of 125 to 375 meters, the two structures are connected with oil dampers, which serve to reduce vibrations in the event of an earthquake.

The observation decks of Tokyo Skytree

However, most visitors come not for the extraordinary architecture of Tokyo Skytree, but for its viewing platforms. These are located at heights of 350 and 450 meters. Both viewing platforms offer a phenomenally good panoramic view of the gigantic sea of houses in the world’s largest metropolitan area. The lower viewing platform also has a restaurant, a café and several stores. By the way, visitors walk the last meters to the upper platform through the so-called Air Walk, a spiral-shaped, glass walkway.

The view over all of Tokyo is already breathtaking by day. The view is even more spectacular after dark, when the lights of the metropolis of millions come on. In addition, the Skytree itself is illuminated at night. The light shows change every two days between sky blue, blue-violet and orange-ort. On special occasions, Tokyo Skytree is also illuminated in other colors.