Tokyo Architecture, Tokyo Big Sight

One of the most original buildings in Tokyo and at the same time one of my favorites, is a convention center located in Ariake (near Odaiba), nicknamed Tokyo Big Sight (the official name is Tokyo International Exhibition Center). Since there are a lot of activities taking place there, I visited the Big Sight on almost every trip to Tokyo...

Opened in 1996, Tokyo Big Sight is a gigantic building which includes two Exhibition Halls (one East and one West) and the most impressive part, the Conference Tower. The tower's design suggests 4 upside-down pyramids, each standing on a huge pillar. Made of titanium and glass panels, it is about 60 meters tall (with 8 stories) and weights 6500 tons.

An interesting detail is how the tower was built: the upper structure was first completed on the ground and then, over a period of 3 days, it was slowly lifted into place by a computer guided system.