Acty Shiodome

A 56-storey public rental residential tower completed in February 2004 in Kaigan, Minato City, developed by the Urban Development Corporation (now UR Urban Agency). At approximately 190 metres, it was the tallest rental residential building in Japan at the time of completion, and remains a distinctive presence in the Shiodome skyline.

Use

Residential tower

Area

Minato City

Completed

2004

Floors

56 above ground, 2 below

Height

190 m

Total floor area

approx. 100,754 m²

Developer

Urban Development Corporation, Tokyo Branch (now UR Urban Agency)

Architect

Azusa Sekkei (Higashihata Architects) / Urban Development Corporation, Tokyo Branch

Japan’s Tallest Rental Tower at Completion

Acty Shiodome stands in Kaigan 1-chome, Minato City, on the edge of the vast Shiodome redevelopment district that took shape on the former site of the Shiodome National Railway freight yard. Completed on 28 February 2004, the tower rises 56 storeys above ground and descends two storeys below, reaching a height of approximately 190 metres, with a gross floor area of around 100,800 square metres. At its completion it was the tallest rental residential building in Japan. The building was developed by the Urban Development Corporation (now UR Urban Agency), with basic design by the Corporation’s Tokyo Branch and Azusa Sekkei (Higashihata Architects), and construction carried out by a joint venture of Takenaka Corporation, Mitsui Construction, and Ando Hazama.

Public Housing at the Heart of Shiodome

Shiodome in the early 2000s was a showcase of large-scale private commercial redevelopment: the Dentsu headquarters, the Nippon Television headquarters, luxury hotels, and high-rise office complexes were rising on land released after the former rail freight terminal closed. The presence of a UR public rental tower in this privately driven landscape reflects a deliberate policy choice: even in prime redevelopment zones, publicly subsidised rental housing would be provided to ensure access for a range of income levels.

UR housing in Japan operates without the key money, renewal fees, or guarantor requirements typical of private rental contracts — a framework designed to lower barriers to housing in central urban areas. Acty Shiodome sits within walking distance of JR Hamamatsucho Station and directly above Shiodome Station on the Toei Oedo Line and the Yurikamome elevated line. This level of transit access is exceptional for public rental housing.

The tower’s 56-storey profile is visible from considerable distances — from the Tokyo Monorail approaching Hamamatsucho, from the bay, and from the elevated walkways around Shiodome. Its name, Acty, from “Active,” is consistent with the naming conventions UR has used across several of its urban tower projects.

Summary

Acty Shiodome was completed in February 2004 as a 56-storey, approximately 190-metre public rental residential tower in Kaigan, Minato City — the tallest rental residential building in Japan at the time. Built by what is now UR Urban Agency in the heart of the Shiodome redevelopment area, it embodies the argument that publicly supported housing has a place even in Tokyo’s most commercially intensive districts. Walking along the waterfront from Hamamatsucho toward Shiodome and looking up at the tower against the bay sky is a good way to appreciate its scale.

For hotels near Shiodome and Hamamatsucho, Rakuten Travel lists a range of options with easy access to the Shiodome and Odaiba areas.