Two superhigh-rise apartment buildings using the "Takenaka Super Flex Tube" frame method, doing away with the need for beams inside units and allowing various types of residential planning, were completed one after another in March 2005.
The area around Renaissance Tower Ueno Ikenohata, which is opposite Shinobazu-dori Avenue on the western side of Ueno Park, is the Okachimachi shopping area, and it is also close to downtown Yanaka and Nezu, as well as cultural bases such as the University of Tokyo. This is an area that has been famous for lotus viewing since the Edo Period. By making efforts to take in the fortunate views and natural environment, the aim was for a "modern-day lotus-viewing tower" where time, people and the town intersect. A 130-meter high rooftop garden and a top-floor Sky-View Lounge were constructed so that good views could be enjoyed by all the residents.
With the exterior, the horizontal lines of the balconies appear as weft yarns, the different-colored columns resemble warp yarns, and the pattern of this facade is designed to express the intersection, or "interweaving" of the community.
The units have double-layer ceilings and double-layer floors, and with the consolidation of equipment in an equipment shaft in the common corridors, inspection and renewal work has been made easy, and because it is also a no-beam type structure, many plan variations have been realized in these Skeleton-Infill (SI) housing^* units.
The theme of D' Grafort Kobe Sannomiya Tower was the expression of the unique atmosphere of the city of Kobe, as it continues to become more refined, taking in new, while taking care of old things.