MODE GAKUEN TOWER

Tokyo, Japan

This 669 ft, 50-story educational facility is home to a fashion school, a technology and design college and a medical college. Completed in October 2008, it was awarded the 2008 Skyscraper of the Year by Emporis.

To select a design for its new Tokyo location, Mode Gakuen held a design competition, with the condition that the building could not be rectangular. They received over 150 proposals, including this winning proposal, a cocoon-like structure designed by Tange Associates. The building's cocoon shape symbolizes a building that nurtures the students inside. White aluminum and dark blue glass exterior form the structure's curved shell, which is criss-crossed by a web of white diagonal lines, earning it the name "Cocoon Tower". A Tange Associates spokesperson stated that their design intended for the building to revitalize the surrounding area and to create a gateway between Shinjuku Station and the Shinjuku central business district.

The sketch was done during a visit with my two sons to Japan to climb Mt. Fuji, summited June 18, 2019. It was a short, intense climb, but nothing like Kilimanjaro, which is 5,000 feet taller. The Cacoon was only a few blocks from our hotel in Tokyo. I wanted to sketch one of the more famous Japanese temples, and had set my sights on the Royal Palace. But it was not to be, I wasted the better part of a day trying to find it, only to learn it is not open to the public, since the Emperor still resides there, and the Palace is hidden in the woods from any public vista. From online images, one can still appreciate the palace as an iconic example of Japanese architecture. My souvenirs from the trip were a Japanese sword (cir.1440), a jade vase, and a lot of fun with the boys.