Century Tower (Tokyo)

A twin-tower office building completed in 1991 in Bunkyo, designed by Norman Foster. Two 21-story towers are bridged by a soaring atrium, the product of a hard-fought negotiation with Japan's fire codes.

Use

Office tower

Area

Bunkyo City

Completed

1991

Floors

21 above ground

Height

91 m

Developer

Obunsha Co., Ltd.

Architect

Foster + Partners (Norman Foster)

A High-Tech Twin Tower on Tokyo’s Hills

A short walk north of Tokyo Dome, Century Tower stands on a gentle rise in the Korakuen district of Bunkyo City — completed in 1991 and designed by Norman Foster, the British architect later known for the Millau Viaduct and Apple Park. The building rises to approximately 91 meters across 21 floors, its steel-and-glass grid facade a textbook expression of Foster’s high-tech vocabulary.

The commission came from Obunsha, a Tokyo educational publisher, who developed their existing campus site during Japan’s late-bubble building boom. At the time, Foster’s firm brought to Tokyo the same language of expressed structure and maximum transparency they were refining in London, but encountered Japan’s detailed fire safety regulations — particularly the restrictions on large atrium spaces — as a formidable constraint.

Two Towers, One Atrium

The most unusual feature of Century Tower is the central atrium reaching approximately 72 meters, tying the two towers into a single ensemble. Natural light floods the shared space through the glazed roof, while louvered elements manage summer glare. The atrium also acts as a natural ventilation chimney, drawing warm air upward in summer months.

Achieving that space required extensive collaboration with Japanese fire authorities to satisfy smoke-extraction requirements without compromising the openness Foster envisioned. Custom sprinkler arrangements and high-level smoke dampers were part of the eventual solution. The result is one of the most spatially ambitious office interiors in central Tokyo from that decade.

Since completion, the tenants have shifted: Juntendo University’s medical group now occupies a significant portion of the building, giving a campus originally built for an educational publisher a continued connection to learning and research.

Summary

Century Tower, completed in 1991, rises to around 91 meters across 21 stories in Bunkyo City, and its twin-tower atrium form remains one of Norman Foster’s most compelling works on Japanese soil. The walk up from Korakuen Station past Tokyo Dome and into the quieter streets that lead to the building’s steel-frame silhouette is a pleasant detour on any tour of Tokyo’s architectural landmarks.

For more Bunkyo architecture, Bunkyo Civic Center stands nearby as a counterpoint in late-postmodern style.