Tokyo Garden Terrace Kioicho

Completed in 2016 on the site of the former Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka, this 36-storey, 180-metre mixed-use complex by Seibu Properties brings together offices, a luxury hotel, and retail in the historic Kioicho neighbourhood of Chiyoda City. Designed by Nikken Sekkei and Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates.

Use

Office tower

Area

Chiyoda City

Completed

2016

Floors

36 above ground, 2 below

Height

180 m

Total floor area

approx. 227,200 m²

Developer

Seibu Properties

Architect

Nikken Sekkei (design and supervision), Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (exterior design)

A New Landmark Built on the Grounds of the ‘Aka-Pri’

Standing on a gentle rise a short walk from Yotsuya Station, Tokyo Garden Terrace Kioicho occupies the address 1-2 Kioicho, Chiyoda City. Completed in 2016 by Seibu Properties, the complex centres on a 36-storey, 2-basement tower reaching 180 metres, with a total floor area of approximately 227,200 square metres. Design and supervision were carried out by Nikken Sekkei, while the exterior architecture was entrusted to the US-based firm Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF).

The site previously held the Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka — known affectionately in Tokyo as the “Aka-Pri.” After the hotel closed, Seibu Properties redeveloped the expansive grounds into the present complex. Offices and retail occupy the main tower, while a separate hotel wing opened as The Prince Gallery Tokyo Kioicho. The landscaped greenery that the hotel once cultivated was carried forward in the form of garden spaces woven through the complex, giving the precinct a calm character unusual for a modern high-rise development in the city centre.

Where History and Height Meet

The place name Kioicho is said to derive from the estates of the Kishu, Owari, and Ii clans, who once held grounds in the area. The 180-metre tower rises today in a neighbourhood that still holds the Akasaka Palace state guest house and Shimizudani Park within walking distance, creating an uncommon dialogue between contemporary high-rise architecture and a deeply historical landscape.

The curtain wall carries vertical lines of glass and metal panels in a composition shaped by KPF’s characteristic sharp geometry. At the foot of the tower, the transition from the vertical mass above to the horizontal greenery at grade is handled with care, providing a more restful pedestrian experience than the height of the building might suggest. Yotsuya, Nagatacho, and Akasaka-mitsuke stations are all within easy walking distance, making the complex a well-connected node in central Tokyo.

Summary

Tokyo Garden Terrace Kioicho was completed in 2016 with 36 floors above ground and a height of 180 metres. Seibu Properties brought together Nikken Sekkei and Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates to realise a mixed-use development on the generous footprint left by the Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka, retaining the greenery that had long characterised the site. The result is a skyscraper that carries the memory of its predecessor alongside its considerable height — a combination well worth experiencing on foot by starting from Yotsuya Station and walking uphill.

Related: Shin-Marunouchi Building / Tokyo International Forum

Planning a stay near Kioicho, Akasaka, or Yotsuya? Rakuten Travel covers hotels across central Tokyo.