Sony To wer, Osaka, 1975 120
This building is located at the access point to Osaka's busiest commercial and entertai nment centre, Shin足 sai bashi. So that it would stand out as a gateway to the d istrict it was made as high as permitted by law. Because the building is also a showroom for Sony products it is important that it can accommodate a heavy flow of visitors. Visitors using the building may see the street and its activities as they move u p and down i n the building by looki ng through the glass barrier which sep足 arates the elevators and escalators from the outside. Architecture i n which t h e people inside c a n see what people outside are doing re足 d iscovers commu n i cation between the exterior and i nterior. Sony has the image of bei ng a communications developer, a nd this b u i l d i n g is a n 'i nformation tree' which embodies a l l the i nformation of its u rban su rround i ngs. Capsules the same as those used for the N akagi n Capsule Tower are used for the building's toilets ; they are faced with sta i n less steel on the exterior. The escalators and elev足 ators are a lso thought of as capsules, which carry people from the outside to the exhi bition spaces.
Detail of side
Sketch
Plan
OSAKA
SONY TOWER
EXTENSION
1
ELEVATOR
4
STAIRCASE
2 3
SERVICE ELEVATOR ESCALATOR
5 6
TOILET CAPSULE AIR DUCT
________,_
10 M