The Yokohama Front Tower

A mixed-use tower of approximately 42 storeys and 178 metres completed in 2023 at the north-west exit of Yokohama Station. The first project nationally to receive National Strategic Housing Development Project certification, it brings together housing, a hotel, commercial space, and a business-creation facility in a single structure directly connected to the station.

Use

Residential tower

Area

Kanagawa Ward, Yokohama

Completed

2023

Floors

42 above ground, 2 below

Height

178 m

Developer

Yokohama Station Kita Nishiguchi Tsuruyacho District Urban Redevelopment Union (Sotetsu Real Estate, Tokyu, et al.)

Architect

Matsuda Hirata Sekkei / UG Urban Architecture / Tokyu Design Consultants (joint design)

One Hundred and Seventy-Eight Metres at Yokohama Station

Step out of Yokohama Station’s north-west exit and the base of a tower fills the skyline directly ahead. The Yokohama Front Tower rises to approximately 178 metres across about 42 storeys and was completed in 2023 at Tsuruyacho 1-chome, Kanagawa Ward — a location that is physically connected to the station. Housing, a hotel and serviced apartments, commercial floors, and a business-creation facility are stacked together in a single structure, making the building a self-contained vertical neighbourhood at one of Japan’s busiest rail interchanges.

The development was led by the Yokohama Station Kita Nishiguchi Tsuruyacho District Urban Redevelopment Union, with Sotetsu Real Estate and Tokyu among the principal participants. The general contractor was Obayashi Corporation; the design was a joint venture of Matsuda Hirata Sekkei, UG Urban Architecture, and Tokyu Design Consultants. The project received the first National Strategic Housing Development Project certification in Japan, recognising it as a national model for integrated urban housing near major transport hubs.

Yokohama’s Changing Station District

The area around Yokohama Station has been reshaping steadily for decades. The south-east side connects to the Minato Mirai waterfront, while the west side around Takashimaya and Sogo has long been a commercial centre. The Yokohama Front Tower adds a prominent vertical element to the north-west, a direction that had fewer landmarks until this redevelopment took shape. The 459 residential units occupy floors five and thirteen to forty-one; the hotel and serviced apartments sit on separate floors; commercial space at the lower levels faces the street.

Summary

The Yokohama Front Tower was completed in 2023 at Tsuruyacho 1-chome, Kanagawa Ward, Yokohama, rising to approximately 178 metres across about 42 storeys above two basement levels. The first Japanese project to receive National Strategic Housing Development Project certification, it was built by Obayashi Corporation for the Yokohama Station Kita Nishiguchi Tsuruyacho District Urban Redevelopment Union, with a design team that brought together three firms. Directly linked to Yokohama Station, the tower is the clearest sign yet of how the station’s north-west side is reinventing itself. Starting a walk through the station district from this tower’s base is a good way to track the pace of change.

Related: Yokohama Landmark Tower | Yokohama Grand Intercontinental Hotel

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