Built: 2001 Designed by: Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura Type: Skyscraper Stories: 11 Maximum Height: 184 feet / 56 meters Location: 8-8-3 Ginza, Tokyo, Japan
T here are a lot of buildings in Tokyo owned by the Shiseido company. Some historic. Some modern. But few get as much attention as this one. Occupying a very prominent corner on Ginza Dori, the Tokyo Ginza Shiseido Building uses color to stand out from the competition. But not the gauche neon and LED monstrosities of other nearby buildings. Instead, this Shiseido building's stucco facade is colored red, with additional red lighting to highlight important details.
At the base is a double-volume first floor with windows accented by red awnings. Another double-height space is at the top of the building where the rest of the building's thick columns stop at a pediment and are replaced by glass walls. The framing walls are thick, as are the main columns separating the windows. But that doesn't mean the building lacks variety. Window heights vary from floor to floor, being anywhere from half- to triple-height.
This Shiseido building is home not only to the cosmetics giant, but to restaurants, conference rooms, and Ginza's oldest art gallery. The location, itself, is historic. This building opened on the 132nd anniversary of the founding of Shiseido, on the location of its headquarters built in the 1930's.
