This building was designed by Sachio Otani and completed in 1966. The Kyoto Protocol emissions treaty of 1997 was signed in this building (COP3).

Otani worked in the office of Kenzo Tange until 1960, when he left to establish his own office. While at Tange’s firm he worked on the Hiroshima Peace Centre (1955) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices (1957).

It’s a rare remaining example of the Metabolism architecture movement in Japan, especially after the Nakagin Capsule Tower in Ginza, Tokyo was demolished in 2022.

It is set in beautiful parkland, with very restrictive access to the site – the reception kindly let me take a few shots in the entrance foyer, but most of the grounds were off limits. It is served by a nearby metro station and underground bicycle parking with an inclined electric bicycle travelator.

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