Snøhetta envisions new landmark in Tokyo

Snøhetta designs its largest project in Japan to date with the new Shibuya Upper West Project for Tokyu Corporation, L Catterton Real Estate, and Tokyu Department Store. The 117,000 m2 mixed-use development includes the Bunkamura cultural complex and will offer high-quality retail, a contemporary luxury hotel, and rental residences, as well as art and cultural experiences in the vibrant Shibuya district of Tokyo. The project aims to achieve the highest possible sustainability ratings and is expected to complete in the fiscal year 2027.

The city of Tokyo lies in a duality of nowness and time-honored tradition. A city of turns and juxtapositions, contrasting qualities that harmonize with one another. The new Shibuya Upper West Project intends to represent all this while imagining a new vision for the famous and lively area of Shibuya in Tokyo, known for its bustling crowds, big screens, and the Shibuya Crossing in front of the Shibuya Station Hachikō.
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​With its prominent location, where Tokyu Department Store’s flagship store currently resides, the project sits at the intersection of the serene high-end residential area of Shoto, the cultural neighborhoods of Kamiyamacho and Tomigaya, and the vibrant Shibuya district. Nestled at the edge of Shibuya where energy meets calm, the project aspires to become Tokyo's newest “Urban Retreat" – a sanctuary of peace and relaxation in the bustle of the city. Key features include The Hive, a vibrant and lively atrium anchoring the heart of the project, and The Sanctuary, a healing space with lush roof terraces for visitors to relax and unwind.

Image by Proloog, Copyright: Snohetta, Courtesy of: Tokyu Corporation

 

Honoring traditions while designing for the future

The Shibuya Upper West Project is set to become a new landmark in Tokyo. Horizontally connecting out to the city and the surrounding areas while stretching vertically to the sky. The building is designed as a landform, rising from ground level with its terraced steps, paying tribute to the distant foothills of Mount Fuji. The building honors an ancient Japanese building practice through its ceramic façade, strengthening the connection between tradition and the future. ​

“In such a well-known and historically significant area in one of the world’s most exciting cities, the project is paying homage to and respecting traditions as well as looking ahead. We aim to design for the future and aspire to find the most sustainable solutions, contributing to Japan’s goal of being carbon-neutral by 2050,” says Robert Greenwood, Partner and Managing Director of Snøhetta Hong Kong.

“We have imagined a new 24-hour vision for Shibuya with this hybrid urban development that combines Landmark and Landform – a bridge between the city and the streets that extends itself into the skyline – connecting Shibuya to Shoto. The design is formed as a single gesture, moving from the horizontal ground plane to the vertical skyline, symbolizing the energy of the area in a single stroke. It is an homage to the duality of Tokyo – a modern city steeped in tradition,” Greenwood explains. ​
​For the Shibuya Upper West Project, Snøhetta plans to achieve the highest possible sustainability ratings.

Image by: Snøhetta

 

Creating new experiences in the heart of Tokyo

The development will bring together a vibrant combination of high-quality retail, a contemporary luxury hotel, and rental residences as well as art and culture in the Shibuya district for the very first time. The Shibuya Upper West Project will be a collaboration with the iconic Bunkamura cultural complex, adjacent to the project and known for its long-standing efforts to promote art and culture throughout Tokyo.

“Snøhetta’s heritage rooted in Norway, one of the most sustainable countries in the world, places social and environmental sustainability at the heart of every project”, says Kazuo Takahashi, President and Representative Director of Tokyu Corporation.

“In Snøhetta, we partner with a design architect that creates striking architecture and we are thrilled to see their building debut in Japan become an important flagship to Shibuya.”, says Mathieu le Bozec, Managing Partner of L Catterton Real Estate.

Shibuya Upper West Project is due for completion in the fiscal year 2027 and will be a collaboration between Snøhetta as Design Architect and a joint venture between Nikken Sekkei Ltd and Tokyu Architects & Engineers INC acting as Executive Architect.

Snøhetta’s other projects in Tokyo include the Pangea Digital Garage co-working space and the Tokyo Burnside restaurant.

Image by Proloog, Copyright: Snohetta, Courtesy of: Tokyu Corporation

 

Project Facts

Project name: Shibuya Upper West Project
​Location: Tokyo, Japan
​Size: 117,000 m2 (includes Bunkamura)
​Client: Tokyu Corporation, L Catterton Real Estate, Tokyu Department Store
​Design Architect: Snøhetta
​Executive Architect: Design JV between Nikken Sekkei Ltd and Tokyu Architects & Engineers INC
​Typology: Retail, Hotel, Residential ​
​Expected completion: FY 2027

Gallery:

 

Image by Proloog, Copyright: Snohetta, Courtesy of: Tokyu CorporationImage by Mir, Copyright: Snohetta, Courtesy of: Tokyu CorporationImage by Proloog, Copyright: Snohetta, Courtesy of: Tokyu Corporation
Image by Mir, Copyright: Snohetta, Courtesy of: Tokyu CorporationImage by Proloog, Copyright: Snohetta, Courtesy of: Tokyu CorporationImage: Snøhetta
Image: SnøhettaImage: Snøhetta
Image: Snøhetta

 

Link to download high-resolution images

 

 

Image Credits:

1. Images by Proloog, Copyright: Snøhetta, Courtesy of: Tokyu Corporation

2. Images by Mir, Copyright: Snøhetta, Courtesy of: Tokyu Corporation

Diagram Credits:
​Snøhetta

Snøhetta Reference Projects:

Norwegian National Opera and Ballet. Photo: Jens PassothLe Monde Headquarters, Paris. Photo: Jared Chulski
National September 11 Memorial Museum Pavilion, New York. Photo: Jeff GoldbergEsto
Under Restaurant, Norway. Photo: Timon Koch

 

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About Snøhetta

For almost 40 years, Snøhetta has designed some of the world’s most notable public and cultural projects. Snøhetta kick-started its career in 1989 with the competition-winning entry for the new library of Alexandria, Egypt. This was later followed by the commission for the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet in Oslo, and the National September 11 Memorial Museum Pavilion at the World Trade Center in New York City, among many others. 

Since its inception, the practice has maintained its original transdisciplinary approach, and often integrates a combination of architecture, landscape architecture, interior architecture, product design and art across its projects. The collaborative nature between Snøhetta's different disciplines is an essential driving force of the practice.

Today, Snøhetta has a global presence, with studios in seven locations spanning from Oslo to Paris, Innsbruck, New York, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Melbourne.

Snøhetta is currently working on a wide range of international projects, including the Shanghai Grand Opera House, the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Dakota, Harbourside redevelopment in Sydney and La Croisette in Cannes, to name a few. 

Recently completed works include Vertikal Nydalen in Oslo, Beijing City Library, the renovation of Musée national de la Marine in Paris, Orionis - the planetarium and observatory of Douai, Airside in Hong Kong, Esbjerg Maritime Center in Denmark, 550 Madison Garden and Revitalization in New York, as well as Volum lamps for Lodes.

Some of Snøhetta's previous projects include Ordrupgaard Art Museum expansion in Denmark, the Cornell University Executive Education Center and Hotel in New York City, Le Monde Group Headquarters in Paris, including the wayfinding and signage, Europe’s first underwater restaurant, Under, the redesign of the public space in Times Square, the expansion to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Lascaux IV: The International Centre for Cave Art, Powerhouse Brattørkaia and design for Norway’s new banknotes.

Snøhetta’s working method simultaneously explores traditional handicraft and cutting-edge digital technology. At the heart of all Snøhetta’s work lies a commitment to social and environmental sustainability, shaping the built environment and design in the service of humanism. Every project is designed with strong, meaningful concepts in mind – concepts that can translate the ethos of its users and their context.

Among many recognitions, Snøhetta has been awarded the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award for the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, and the Aga Kahn Prize for Architecture for the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. In 2016, Snøhetta was named Wall Street Journal Magazine's Architecture Innovator of the Year, and the practice has been named one of the world’s most innovative companies by Fast Company two years in a row. In 2020, Snøhetta was awarded the National Design Award for Architecture, bestowed by Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. In 2021 and 2022, Snøhetta’s Forite tiles won the Sustainable Design of the Year by Dezeen and Best Domestic Design by Wallpaper* in 2022, and the wayfinding system for Le Monde Group Headquarters was acknowledged with Monocle Design Awards. In 2023, Snøhetta won a number of awards for the Esbjerg Maritime Center and was named Architects of the Year at the Monocle Design Awards, in 2024 included a number of awards to Beijing Library and the BIA 2024 Award to Snøhetta and in 2025, Snøhetta was recognized with the OPAL Special Award for Sustainability, among others. 

Disclaimer: All materials provided by Snøhetta are intended exclusively for editorial use to communicate the specified project(s). The use of this material for commercial or third-party purposes is strictly prohibited. No material may be edited or altered from its original state in any manner. Credit must be given for all content used, acknowledging Snøhetta and/or the photographer or creator as the source. By using Snøhetta's press material, you agree to these terms and conditions.

 

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press@snohetta.com

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