==Buildings==
==Buildings==
===Ark Mori Building===
===Ark Mori Building===
The Ark Mori Building is a 37-storey office building and rises at {{convert|153.34|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} tall. The tower serves as one of the country’s first smart office towers and features a dual-tower configuration in its design with independent disaster prevention systems. The tower features a [[contemporary architecture|contemporary architectural design]] with its facade featuring sleek and energy-efficient windows while sharing a close resemblance to the design of the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center Twin Towers]]. The tower also has retail, commercial and restaurant spaces on the ground floor to the third floor while the 4th floor to the 37th floor features office spaces. The tower’s office tenants include the AViC Co., Ltd. at the 19th floor, [[Bank of Italy]], [[NTT Docomo|DOCOMO]] Innovation Village, [[Roland Berger (company)|Roland Berger]], iStyle, Impact HD Inc., [[Kaneka Corporation]] Tokyo Head Office, [[Japan External Trade Organization]] (JETRO), Max Law Firm, [[Monex Group]], ReadHub Co., Ltd., Tyton | Capital Advisors, Works Human Intelligence Co., Ltd..<ref name=”ARK Hills {{!}} DEVELOPMENTS {{!}} Mori Building Co., Ltd.”/>
The Ark Mori Building is a 37-storey office building and rises at {{convert|153.34|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} tall. The tower serves as one of the country’s first smart office towers and features a dual-tower configuration in its design with independent disaster prevention systems. The tower features a [[contemporary architecture|contemporary architectural design]] with its facade featuring sleek and energy-efficient windows while sharing a close resemblance to the design of the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center Twin Towers]]. The tower also has retail, commercial and restaurant spaces on the ground floor to the third floor while the 4th floor to the 37th floor features office spaces. The tower’s office tenants include the AViC Co., Ltd. at the 19th floor, [[Bank of Italy]], [[NTT Docomo|DOCOMO]] Innovation Village, [[Roland Berger (company)|Roland Berger]], iStyle, Impact HD Inc., [[Kaneka Corporation]] Tokyo Head Office, [[Japan External Trade Organization]] (JETRO), Max Law Firm, [[Monex Group]], ReadHub Co., Ltd., Tyton | Capital Advisors, Works Human Intelligence Co., Ltd..<ref name=”ARK Hills {{!}} DEVELOPMENTS {{!}} Mori Building Co., Ltd.”/>
The heliport on the roof of the Ark Mori Building used to provide direct flights between Ark Hills and the [[Narita International Airport]] (approximately 20 minutes), until it was discontinued on December 1, 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mori.co.jp/en/company/press/release/2009/07/20090728150000001577.html|title=Central Tokyo’s only private helicopter service “Narita Airline Connection Service” to Launch on September 16|publisher=[[Mori Building Company]]|date=28 July 2009|access-date=8 April 2023|archive-date=11 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220711115627/https://www.mori.co.jp/en/company/press/release/2009/07/20090728150000001577.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
The heliport on the roof of the Ark Mori Building used to provide direct flights between Ark Hills and the [[Narita International Airport]] (approximately 20 minutes), until it was discontinued on December 1, 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mori.co.jp/en/company/press/release/2009/07/20090728150000001577.html|title=Central Tokyo’s only private helicopter service “Narita Airline Connection Service” to Launch on September 16|publisher=[[Mori Building Company]]|date=28 July 2009|access-date=8 April 2023|archive-date=11 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220711115627/https://www.mori.co.jp/en/company/press/release/2009/07/20090728150000001577.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
Office complex in Tokyo, Japan
| Ark Hills | |
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| Status | Completed |
| Type | Mixed-use, High Rise |
| Location | Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, Tokyo, Japan |
| Coordinates | 35°40′01″N 139°44′27″E / 35.6670°N 139.7407°E / 35.6670; 139.7407 |
| Construction started | November 1983 (November 1983) |
| Completed | March 1986 (March 1986) (Complex) January 31, 2012 (January 31, 2012) (Ark Hills Front Tower) August 2012 (August 2012) (Ark Hills Sengokuyama Mori Tower) August 2013 (August 2013) (Ark Hills South Tower) |
| Owner | Mori Building |
| Management | Mori Building |
| Height | Ark Hills Sengokuyama Mori Tower: 206.7 m (678 ft) |
| Architectural | 206.7 m (678 ft) (Ark Hills Sengokuyama Mori Tower) 153.34 m (503 ft) (Ark Mori Building) 133 m (436 ft) (ANA InterContinental Tokyo) 108 m (354 ft) (Ark Hills South Tower) 106 m (348 ft) (Ark Hills Front Tower) 76.69 m (252 ft) (Ark Towers East Tower) 67.99 m (223 ft) (Ark Towers West Tower) |
| Roof | 206.7 m (678 ft) (Ark Hills Sengokuyama Mori Tower) |
| Floor count | 51 (Ark Hills Sengokuyama Mori Tower) 37 (Mori Building) 36 (ANA InterContinental Tokyo) 22 (Ark Hills Front Tower) 20 (Ark Hills South Tower) 25 (Ark Towers East Tower) 22 (Ark Towers West Tower) 9 (Ark Hills Executive Tower) |
| Floor area | Total Floor Area: 360,608.87 m2 (3,881,561.6 sq ft)
Ark Hills Sengokuyama Mori Tower: 143,462 m2 (1,544,210 sq ft) Mori Tower:181,833 m2 (1,957,230 sq ft) ANA InterContinental Tokyo: 98,331.68 m2 (1,058,433.4 sq ft) Ark Hills Front Tower: 24,823.41 m2 (267,197.0 sq ft) Ark Hills South Tower: 55,267 m2 (594,890 sq ft) |
| Grounds | 5.6 hectares (14 acres) |
| Architecture firm | |
| Developer | Mori Building |
| Main contractor | Kajima Corporation (Ark Mori Building) |
| Public transit access |       |
Ark Hills (アークヒルズ, Āku Hiruzu), also known as Akasaka Ark Hills is a 5.6 hectares (14 acres) mixed-use skyscraper development complex owned and developed by Mori Building Company in the Akasaka district in Minato, Tokyo. Opened in 1986, the complex is the first and largest private urban redevelopment complex of its kind and includes the Ark Hills Sengokuyama Mori Tower, the Ark Mori Building, the ANA InterContinental Tokyo Hotel, the world-class Suntory Hall concert hall, a TV studio and several apartment buildings. TV Asahi still uses its former headquarters as an annex for some of its departments and subsidiaries while the network’s headquarters themselves were moved to the nearby building designed by Fumihiko Maki in 2003. The complex is also known for its annual autumn festival known as the Ark Hills Music Week, that includes music, dancing, food, art and shopping.[1]
The name “Ark” is derived from the location of the complex, at the intersection of the Akasaka, Roppongi and Kasumigaseki districts. Another explanation is that the name stands for Akasaka and Roppongi knot.[2] The complex’s name also took inspiration to the land’s topography as the development sits on a sloping hillside in Toranomon, giving the name hills to be added in the name of the development. The name Ark Hills also served as the foundation of other related mixed-use developments owned by Mori Building Company that bears the Hills name as part of the company’s branding for its other large scale “mini-city” mixed-use development projects such as the Atago Green Hills in 2001, Roppongi Hills in 2003, Omotesando Hills in 2005, Toranomon Hills in 2014, and the Azabudai Hills in 2023.
The Ark Hills redevelopment plan was first initiated in 1967 when Mori Building Company purchased the 5.6 hectares (14 acres) from various private-owned land plots. The land that used to occupy the current Ark Hills development formerly served as a densely populated hillside residential neighborhood, surrounded by various religious structures such as the Yosenji Temple and the Reinanzaka Church. On November 1969, the Mori Building Company laid out a proposal for the construction of a 33-story high-rise building planned development in the area. On March 1971, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has conducted a survey on the site for the feasiblity and suitability of the project and was later deemed as suitable for development. On May 1971, the development later encountered massive opposition from locals who reside the land, where they also place posters opposing the development. Despite the opposition, the project gained support from both the religious groups and eventually the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, yet due to the difficulty of gaining further approval from the parishioners of the Reinanzaka Church, as well as the worshippers from the Yosenji Temple and later led to the withdrawal of support of the religious organizations. The development of the project was delayed and encountered significant problems that caused problems for the construction of the complex. On April 1972, the Minato Ward drew up a master plan for urban redevelopment.[3]
In 1973 the Minato Ward published the Basic Plan for Redevelopment, which served as the framework for the redevelopment project, and also includes the density, layout, green spaces, and zoning of the future complex. In 1978, the Akasaka-Roppongi Area Redevelopment Preparatory Association was established and on the following year in 1979, the urban plan decision was eventually announced. In 1982, the Akasaka-Roppongi Area Urban District Redevelopment Association was approved and later laid the plan for the area’s redevelopment. In early 1983 the rights conversion plan was approved and later led to the construction of the complex on November 1983. The first property to be completed in the complex is the TV Asahi Arc Broadcasting Center, which was completed on September 1985, while the development of the entire complex was completed on March 1986 after 17 years with the completion of the Ark Mori Building and the Ark East and West Towers. The completion of the complex was later followed by the completion and opening of other surrounding properties within the same year, such as the ANA InterContinental Tokyo, which was opened on June 1986, and the full opening of the Suntory Hall on October 12, 1986.[3]
In the later years after the completion of the complex, additional buildings were built within the complex and eventually expanded the development’s floor area, such as the Ark Hills Executive Tower on March 1999, the Ark Hills Front Tower on January 31, 2012, the Ark Hills Sengokuyama Mori Tower on August 2012, and the Ark Hills South Tower on August 2013.
The Ark Mori Building is a 37-storey office building and rises at 153.34 m (503 ft) tall. The tower serves as one of the country’s first smart office towers and features a dual-tower configuration in its design with independent disaster prevention systems. The tower features a contemporary architectural design with its facade featuring sleek and energy-efficient windows while sharing a close resemblance to the design of the World Trade Center Twin Towers. The tower also has retail, commercial and restaurant spaces on the ground floor to the third floor while the 4th floor to the 37th floor features office spaces. The tower’s office tenants include the AViC Co., Ltd. at the 19th floor, Bank of Italy, DOCOMO Innovation Village, Roland Berger, iStyle, Impact HD Inc., Kaneka Corporation Tokyo Head Office, Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Max Law Firm, Monex Group, ReadHub Co., Ltd., Tyton | Capital Advisors, and Works Human Intelligence Co., Ltd..[3]
The heliport on the roof of the Ark Mori Building used to provide direct flights between Ark Hills and the Narita International Airport (approximately 20 minutes), until it was discontinued on December 1, 2015.[4]
- Ark Towers East
- Ark Towers West
- Ark Towers South
- Suntory Hall
- Ark Hills Side
- Ark Hills Executive Tower
- Ark Hills Annex
Ark Hills was expanded with the 22-storey Ark Hills Front Tower in 2011 and the 47-storey Ark Hills Sengokuyama Mori Tower in 2012.
The Ark Karajan Place is a 750 m2 (8,100 sq ft) open plaza sandwiched between the Mori Building, the Suntory Hall, the TV Asahi Ark Broadcasting Center and the Ark Place West Tower. Named after the Austrian conductor Herbert von Karajan, the plaza features a retractable roof located atop of the plaza, allowing the plaza to be used for all seasons and for various events, such as the annual Ark Hills Music Week. The plaza is also connected to other pocket Ark Garden open-air garden areas around the complex.[3]
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Waterfall
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Ark Garden
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Building skylight
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Covered plaza
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Ark Mori Building lobby
