Establishing the concept and gaining a response

Roppongi Hills was created as a result of the collaboration of architects and designers from all over the world.
Establishing the concept of Roppongi Hills as the “cultural heart of the city” and the subsequent response to that led to the development of the various facilities and the ways they interact. The individual talents of the architects and designers were allowed to come to the fore despite the complexities involved, and the fact that the boundary lines between the various buildings and spaces were kept unclear.

Exterior design suggesting traditional armor (Roppongi Hills Mori Tower)

Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, the building most symbolic of Roppongi Hills, was designed by KPF.
The design has an origami, helmet, and armor motif and a design with folding, overlapping details and light and dark contrasts. The design, which evokes Japanese tradition, includes a geometric finish. This is a robust structure with a coloring that makes it seem to dissolve up into the sky. Its statuesque form is smart rather than overpowering.
An interesting characteristic of the building is the way it looks different when viewed from different angles or at different times of the day.

KPF: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates PC

William Pedersen

KPF was in charge of the architectural design of Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, Grand Hyatt Tokyo, and the Keyakizaka Complex.
A large architectural firm in New York, KPF is recognized for design excellence in its super high-rise buildings throughout the world. KPF undertakes architectural planning and design, master planning, and interior design in over 20 countries. KPF is known for its work on the 333 Wacker Drive building in Chicago and the JR Central Towers at Nagoya Station.

Common areas (commercial areas) designed with space for visitors to enjoy

These spaces connecting buildings (spaces for commercial facilities) were designed by JPI.
Roppongi Hills is designed to ensure that people will enjoy themselves time after time when they walk about and explore it. The JPI concept avoids monotony in the contiguous areas by inviting visitors to explore winding paths instead of having them walk in straight lines.
Features of the space design include locations where views are deliberately obstructed, places where the floor pattern or ceiling pattern change, areas where visitors must walk around a given spot to enjoy their tour, and curves where magnificent natural settings are brought into the ambience. The design was created to enhance the pleasure of each excursion.

JPI: The Jerde Partnership International, Inc.

Jon Jerde

Mr. Jerde was responsible for planning the contiguous lower-floor areas for commercial facilities in the buildings in Roppongi Hills.
He has earned a worldwide reputation for a unique record of achievement in commercial space design. Designs that evoke the natural settings of America’s west coast are features of his work. The company did the design work for projects such as Horton Plaza in San Diego and Canal City in Hakata, Japan.“Quality of life” design (Roppongi Hills Residences)

“Quality of life” design (Roppongi Hills Residences)

The unique exteriors of the Roppongi Hills Residences were designed by Conran and Partners (C&P), which also did the interior design.
The use of limestone and terracotta natural materials produce a natural feeling. Suggestive of ancient Europe, this architectural design is simple, yet never boring.
These buildings with multiple dwellings show creative hints of new lifestyles that had not been seen in Tokyo before. They offer new possibilities for a higher quality of life in Tokyo.

C&P: Conran and Partners

Sir Terence Conran

C&P was in charge of the designs of Roppongi Hills Residences B, C, and D, Roppongi Hills Gate Tower, and the Roppongi Hills Club.
Most of Sir Conran’s work as an architectural designer has been done in the UK. He has earned a reputation as the world’s greatest expert in interior design. Shops with his interiors have been opened in many countries.

TV Asahi‘s 6-story atrium faces the garden

The design of TV Asahi was created by Fumihiko Maki, an internationally renowned architect.
The exquisite use of glass and louvers in the sides of the building, which look out upon Mohri Garden, provide a high degree of transparency, with the concept that people can “feel relaxed when they come here”.
The structure is 120 meters tall, and the height is one of its features. The building’s 6-story atrium, which is 30 meters high, visually opens out to and becomes part of Mohri Garden. This gives any visitor a sense of freedom.

Fumihiko Maki

Mr. Maki was in charge of the architectural design of the TV Asahi Broadcasting Center.
Daikanyama Hillside Terrace, Makuhari Messe, the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, and the Spiral Building are representative examples of his work. He has won numerous awards both in Japan and abroad, including the Architectural Institute of Japan Award, Reynolds Award, Wolf Award, Chicago Architecture Award, and the Pritzker Architecture Prize.