Ochanomizu Sola City

A 23-story office complex standing 110 m tall at the north exit of JR Ochanomizu Station. Completed in March 2013, the redevelopment preserved Edo-period stone walls within its public plaza.

Use

Office tower

Area

Chiyoda City

Completed

2013

Floors

23 above ground, 2 below

Height

110 m

Developer

Surugadai Tokutei Mokuteki Kaisha (Taisei Corporation, Hulic, Yasuda Real Estate, Shoei, Yurakuland)

Architect

Taisei Corporation

A 23-Story Landmark Where Tokyo’s Academic Quarter Begins

Ochanomizu is one of Tokyo’s most distinctive neighbourhoods — a dense cluster of universities, hospitals, and music shops pressed into a hillside above the Kanda River. At the north exit of JR Ochanomizu Station, the 23-floor, 110 m Ochanomizu Sola City opened in March 2013, becoming the quarter’s most visible new arrival. The project was led by Surugadai Tokutei Mokuteki Kaisha, a special-purpose company formed by Taisei Corporation, Hulic, Yasuda Real Estate, and two other firms. Taisei handled both design and construction.

The complex brings together large-format office floors, conference facilities, and a range of retail and restaurant tenants, all connected directly to JR Ochanomizu Station and Tokyo Metro’s Shin-Ochanomizu Station. That seamless station access made it an immediate draw for IT, education, and medical companies that were already clustering in the area.

Edo Stones at the Base of a Modern Tower

The redevelopment’s most distinctive feature is not the tower itself but what survives below it. The site sits on the slope of what was historically called Kanda-yama, and beneath the new footings lay Edo-period stone retaining walls and brick embankments that had gone largely unnoticed for generations. Rather than demolish them, the project preserved the walls in place and wove them into Sola City Plaza, the open public square at the building’s base.

The result is an outdoor space where 400-year-old stonework stands a few metres from floor-to-ceiling glass — a contrast that captures the layered character of the Ochanomizu neighbourhood. Views over the Kanda River toward Hijiri Bridge complete the scene, giving the plaza a quality rare in Tokyo’s redevelopment projects.

Summary

Completed in March 2013, Ochanomizu Sola City rises 23 floors and 110 m above Chiyoda City’s academic heart. Its direct station connection and large office floors gave the area a modern business anchor, while the preserved Edo stone walls in the plaza keep a thread of history visible at street level. Walking from Jinbocho through Ochanomizu, this building marks the point where old booksellers’ row gives way to a contemporary cityscape worth pausing to explore.