Tokyo does not have one of those iconic skylines—towers with striking forms or distinctive crowns do not emerge from the water the way they do in cities like New York and Hong Kong. Tokyo’s buildings—many of more or less similar heights—are not ordered but rather form a haphazard constellation in the urban fabric, where one does not stand out much more than the rest (with the exception perhaps of a bright orange and white Eiffel Tower–inspired communications structure). There is no proliferation of supertalls that dot the landscape. There are no gridded streets but instead long, winding boulevards that navigate hills and highways.
It is within this context that the New York office of OMA, led by Japanese architect Shohei Shigematsu, who knows the context well, has completed a new tower to anchor a new neighborhood. If that anchor appears unsteady—seemingly twisting in the wind or, from certain angles, looking a bit crooked—it is, of course, by design.
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