The demand for verticality in Tokyo is well known. University buildings do not escape this fate. The triangular shape of this tower for the Tokyo Tech School of Sustainability provides a robust framework that supports it’s structural integrity while housing open layouts and flexible collaborative spaces with interior views across floors. The exoskeleton permits the incorporation of building systems including water, air, and electrical systems in an efficient configuration, housed within the columns of the exterior. This frees the interior of any burden for mechanical equipment, giving it pure flexibility to change as the years demand. The use of space and form culminates in a unique silhouette against the skyline, a new addition to the campus buildings. Strategically placed atriums are at the heart of the tower's design, providing expansive, sunlit gathering spaces for students, faculty, and employees, almost acting as green houses with vegetation planted in nearly every slab. These atriums are defined by their towering ceilings and glass walls, which allow natural light to pour into the building, blurring the line between interior and exterior.

The use of glass and open spaces not only illuminates the interior but also creates an uplifting environment that fosters creativity, collaboration, and interaction. The atriums themselves are filled with lush greenery and feature comfortable seating areas, transforming them into vibrant social hubs where students and professors can relax, recharge, and connect with others. These spaces, framed by the triangular geometry of the tower, offer dynamic vantage points across floor plates and panoramic views of the surrounding urban landscape, reinforcing the building’s connection to its environment, both inner and outer. The layout is intentionally spacious and flexible, designed to facilitate communication and foster interaction among students and faculty. Instead of traditional enclosed university laboratories and workspaces, the space is organized to encourage fluid movement and conversation, promoting a culture of teamwork to bring new ideas to the sustainable innovation that will guide the future.