Being the largest metropolis in the world, Tokyo is not only a wonderful tourist attraction but also home to 36 million Tokyoites. For residents in Tokyo, the city’s punctual transportation, vibrant layers of architecture, and abundant cultural opportunities have become everyday conveniences.
What allows Tokyo to work so seamlessly for millions didn’t emerge by chance but through a history of intentional reinventions. The megacity’s meticulous urban planning allows it to be dynamic, inclusive, and sustainable—a success that is far from accidental. Rather, it’s the result of a series of bold and innovative experimentation by Japan’s forward-thinking organizations, one of them being, Mori Building Co.
Mori Building Co., the family-owned company founded by Taikichiro Mori in 1959, has been a prominent key player in shaping Tokyo’s urban evolution. Heeyoon Park, the former developer of Mori Building, now based in Seoul, South Korea, reports in his book “Buildings That Changed Tokyo”, that Mori Building’s significant contribution to Tokyo’s transformation was kicked off by a relatively minor event, the debut of a single building in the Toranomon district. Amid Japan’s high-speed economic development, Mori Building Co. recognized the potential of a seemingly desolate, undervalued area lacking commercial infrastructure and dynamic appeal. The prophetic words of Taikichiro Mori, “Someday we will erect novel buildings on the charred ruins,” in 1955, inspired Mori Building Co.’s first project: Nishi Shimbashi 1 Mori Building, which entered the cluster of senior government offices, small businesses, and residential buildings. As demand for office space increased in the 1960s, fueled by rapid economic growth, so did the leasing activities for the company itself. With a site-by-site approach to development, Mori Building Co. expanded its properties within the building’s adjacency. The series continued expanding in the Shimbashi-Toranomon district for the following few years.
“However, the ideal concepts of cities evolve over time,” Park writes. When Mori Building launched its business in Toranomon, Japanese society was in the midst of its shift to an industrial period. Naturally, the prevailing belief was that workplaces and residences should be separate, particularly strongly isolating factories from residential areas. Accordingly, Tokyo adhered to a “functional zoning approach,” where they designated specific land areas for particular purposes. As stated in Shingo Tsuji’s interview with JapanTimes, Mori Minoru, the former chairman of Mori Building, opposed this conventional pattern, arguing that it “doesn’t work well.” As society transitioned to an age where the balance between work and life was valued, the split urban structure began to hinder modern lifestyles. For instance, Marunouchi is a notable business scape where offices cover the area. Ginza and Shibuya are renowned shopping districts, heavily concentrated with commercial shopping centers. The rigid separation of areas depending on their roles led to fragmented neighborhoods and increased commuting times.
To resolve this problem, Mori Building Co. shifted its focus from individual site development to area development to reinvent a series of neighborhoods and roads. By designing neighborhoods that harmonized residential, commercial, and cultural elements, Mori Building sought to redefine Tokyo as a home of “global neighborhoods,” fostering spaces where people could live, work, and enjoy all at once. This vision addressed the practical needs of urban dwellers and reflected a broader global trend toward mixed-use development, promoting sustainability, connectivity, and vibrant community life.
Today, Mori Building’s urban vision has materialized in the form of the Hills Project.
The Hills Project is based on their firm principle of creating a sustainable, cultural, and livable “Vertical Garden City”, pioneering an innovative approach to urban development to enhance Japan’s economy and community well-being. This guiding concept combines residential, commercial, and cultural elements within vertical complexes. The model maximizes Tokyo’s limited urban land and reduces the need for long commutes, helping create vibrant neighborhoods where people can live, work, and socialize in close proximity.
Ms. Amber Nip, a graduate of Cambridge University with a master’s degree in architecture, states that the combination of places with various functions is highly effective for fostering a sense of community while promoting efficiency. “These Hill designs in Tokyo of small clusters of family spaces, restaurants, hotels, and cultural facilities within a small district are really powerful because they create a sense of home, a sense of belonging within the city. In many ways, it has the kind of convenience, walkability, and practicalness of a city which creates little clusters of community, so [it makes] people feel like they have a place to live and stay within the multifaceted nature of the city.”
To accomplish such a goal, Mori Building’s zoning strategy for the Hills neighborhood made this concept of Vertical Garden City possible. “Mori Building works on a much smaller scale,” Ms. Nip states. “Which means you won’t need the same functional zoning approach. And I would say that in Tokyo, because it’s much bigger in terms of scale, they would naturally have to adopt the zoning approach.” As Mori Building concentrates on developing a dense neighborhood into a multi-functional hub, its small-scale zoning becomes advantageous. ARK Hills guides visitors from Japan’s most renowned music hub, the Suntory Hall, to a wide option of restaurants, cafes, and retail facilities within walking distance. In Roppongi Hills, visitors and residents are offered boundless opportunities to effortlessly transition from significant cultural landmarks such as the Mori Art Museum and the multi-purpose arena to luscious green parks, and onward to international business offices.
Through the establishment of ARK Hills, Roppongi Hills, Omotesando Hills, Toranomon Hills, and Azabudai Hills, Mori Building has revitalized the respective neighborhoods and redefined Tokyo’s global perception as a dynamic and livable city. Even after the most recent completion of Azabudai Hills, Mori Building Co.’s ambition continues to guide Tokyo into a new chapter of urban evolution. Future developments are in close sight, including the development of Roppongi 5 – chome, aiming to continue the legacy of the Hills Project in the form of Izaka Hills.
In a world grappling with social and environmental challenges, Mori Building’s ongoing projects inspire hope for how cities can evolve to benefit all—not as a concrete jungle merely with more buildings, but rather as where it benefits citizens to live, work, and relax.
