Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower, the Tokyo’s skyscraper dedicated to students and knowledge

The Nishi-Shinjuku district is divided in two. On the eastern side, dozens of nightclubs, karaoke bars, and neon-lit bars; on the western side, a forest of skyscrapers, with luxury hotels, large company headquarters, and the panoramic observatory of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. Surrounding it all is the vast Japanese capital, a metropolis of 14 million inhabitants that stretches over more than two thousand square kilometers.

And it is in the Nishi-Shinjuku district, home to over 300,000 people, where the Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower is located, an unusual skyscraper because behind its modern shape and facades reflecting nearby Mount Hakone, it houses three important educational institutions for about 10,000 students. Indeed, only students and school staff can access the 50 floors of the 203-meter-high tower, giving the Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower the second place after Moscow State University among the world’s tallest buildings dedicated exclusively to education.

Walking through Tokyo’s financial district, it is impossible not to notice the Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower. Besides its size (it is the 17th tallest building in Tokyo), the skyscraper has the shape of a cocoon, surrounded externally by white aluminum tubes climbing up the side facades, while the central facade is covered with crystal glass windows.

This shape, inspired by the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly symbolizing the students’ educational journey, was designed by Japanese architect Kenzō Tange in 2005 shortly before his death, with the idea that the shape and internal characteristics of the building would encourage students to evolve into something greater and better. The building was constructed between May 2006 and October 2008 by Kenzo Associates and was awarded the Emporis Skyscraper Award as the best skyscraper of the year upon its inauguration in 2008, one of the most prestigious industry awards.

As planned by the starchitect, at the center of each floor is a central pillar supporting the elevators and stairs, surrounded by three curvilinear classrooms reserved for courses. Inside, there are three schools for fashion, design and for medical studies. Three independent schools where students are allowed to share common spaces inside a modern and safe building. Thus, when a violent earthquake hit Tokyo on March 11, 2011, the skyscraper responded perfectly to the stresses, confirming the performance already seen in the many tests conducted during the design phase.

The refined design of the Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower, which has made Tokyo’s skyline even more captivating, as well as other works by the star architect Kenzō Tange, perfectly encapsulates the combination of “utility and beauty” in infrastructure. It is no coincidence that the “emotional impact” of aesthetically pleasing buildings, which can enhance the lives of people and the cities we live in, has been a topic of discussion for some time. There are now many examples of this. But to stay on the theme of knowledge, we will mention just two: the Stavros Niarchos Cultural Center in Athens, designed by Renzo Piano and built by the Webuild Group, an incredible architectural work unique in the world for its design and its adherence to the highest sustainability standards. Additionally, the Sydney Opera House in Australia, inaugurated in 1973 and recently becoming carbon neutral, was designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon and is one of the most significant architectural achievements of the 20th century.

Japan’s capital is now one of the most populous and crowded cities in the world, so much so that the government has repeatedly allocated economic incentives for families with children who decide to leave the city to live elsewhere. Despite the very high population density, Tokyo has been listed among the most livable cities in the world for several years, a result dependent on many factors, ranging from the cost of living to access to green areas, and naturally also the efficiency and modernity of a comprehensive and modern transportation network.

Tokyo’s subway alone, with its 13 lines and 286 stations, transports 8 million passengers daily, and its frequency and punctuality make it one of the most efficient transportation infrastructures in the world. If you add all the journeys provided by the railway network serving Greater Tokyo, the number of passengers transported daily reaches 40 million, a figure that puts the Japanese capital in first place in the world.

In this vast web of underground and surface lines, the Nishi-Shinjuku district, where the Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower stands, represents a strategic hub where over 3.6 million people transit daily, crowded onto trains and subway cars. Among these, a considerable percentage are the 10,000 students attending the schools in the skyscraper of knowledge.