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Title: Case Study: Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower

Authors:

Subjects: Architectural/Design
Building Case Study
Structural Engineering

Keywords: Design Process

Structure

Publication Date: 2009

Original Publication: CTBUH Journal, 2009 Issue I

Paper Type: 1. Book chapter/Part chapter

2. Journal paper
3. Conference proceeding
4. Unpublished conference paper
5. Magazine article
6. Unpublished

© Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat /

Case Study: Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower

"The elliptic shape permits more ground space

to be dedicated to landscaping at the building’s
narrow base, while the narrow top portion of the
tower allows unobstructed views of the sky."
Paul Noritaka Tange
Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower is an innovative educational facility located in Tokyo's distinctive
Nishi-Shinjuku high-rise district. Completed in October 2008, the 204-meter (669 ft) 50-story
tower is the second-tallest educational building in the world*. The building's elliptic shape,
wrapped in a criss-cross web of diagonal lines, embodies the "cocoon" concept developed by
Tange Associates. Student occupants are inspired to create, grow and transform while
embraced within this cocoon-like, incubating form. In essence, the creative design successfully
nurtures students to communicate and think creatively.
Masato Minami
Architectural overview
Author
Paul Noritaka Tange, Tange Associates
1 In designing Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower,
Masato Minami, Arup Japan
2
Tange Associates offers a new solution for
1
Tange Associates school architecture in Tokyo's tightly meshed
24 Daikyo-cho, Shinjuku-ku urban environment (see Figure 1). A new
Tokyo 160-0015, Japan
t: +81 3 3357 1888 typology for educational architecture, the
f: +81 3 3357 3388 tower and accompanying auditoriums
e: [email protected]
successfully encompass environmental
2
Arup Japan concerns and community needs with an
3rd floor Tobu Fuji Building unparalleled inspirational design.
24-4 Sakuragaoka-cho, Shibuya-ku
Tokyo 150-0031, Japan
t: +81 3 3461 1155
f: +81 3 3476 1377 Literally a vertical campus, the high-rise tower
e: [email protected]
can accommodate approximately 10,000
Paul Noritaka Tange, Tange Associates
1 students at the three vocational schools
Paul Noritaka Tange began his architectural career sharing the building. These include: the fashion
upon receiving his Master in Architecture from Harvard school Tokyo Mode Gakuen; HAL Tokyo, an
University, Graduate School of Design in 1985. That
same year he joined Kenzo Tange Associates, the information and technology school; and Shuto
architectural firm headed by his father, well known Iko, a medical welfare school. Mode Gakuen
international architect, Kenzo Tange. Paul became
President of Kenzo Tange Associates in 1997 and operates all three.
founded Tange Associates in 2003. Tange Associates, Figure 1. Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower
headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, has worked worldwide
and offers a full range of architectural and urban design
and planning services. At this time, Tange Associates The low rise building, an intriguing egg-
has close to 40 on-going projects in ten countries. The shaped structure adjacent to the high rise t
firm’s extensive international experience enables it to den Cla
Stu nge ssr
work effectively worldwide, in all cultures. tower, houses two major auditoriums (see Lou
oom

Figure 2) – Hall A and Hall B. The halls are used

Masato Minami, Arup Japan
2
for school as well as public functions. With
Masato Minami is a senior structural engineer in the approximately one thousand seats, the Classroom Student
Tokyo office of Arup, a global multidisciplinary firm. Lounge
Since receiving his Bachelor and Master of Engineering auditoriums will bring to the area a wide and
degree from the University of Tokyo, he has been exciting mix of cultural events. The high-rise
working with Arup for more than 10 years including
three years in London. He worked on Mode Gakuen tower floor plan is simple; three rectangular
Stu
Cocoon Tower for more than four years as the leading classroom areas rotate 120 degrees around the Lou dent
nge oom
ssr
structural engineer in all stages from the scheme Cla
design stage through to its completion in October inner core (see Figure 3)
2008. His previous works include a number of
award-winning buildings such as Sony City, Tomihiro * Note: The tallest educational building in the world is MV
Museum and Forestry Hall Tomochi. Lomonosov State University, Moscow, Russia (239m / Figure 3. 21st floor plan
784feet).

16 | Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower CTBUH Journal | 2009 Issue I

 ...soaring skyscrapers

“ We have the capital, technology and a demand for

skyscrapers but we have not moved forward because of regulations
and public opposition that few people will really benefit.
”
Kim Jong-su, who heads the Korea Super Tall Forum, which comprises academics and people in the
building industry who support the construction of tall buildings, discusses the government’s reluctance to
push ahead with a tall buildings program in South Korea. From ‘Soaring skyscrapers in dark economic
times’, JoongAng Daily, February 10th, 2009

From the 1st to the 50th floor, these types of schoolyards, these innovative lounges district that attracts large and damaging gusts
rectangular classroom areas are arranged in a offer students a comfortable place to relax and of wind.
curvilinear form. The inner core consists of communicate.
elevators, staircases and shafts. To ease the
potential congestion that might be caused by Enhancing the community is a major goal.
vertical movement, the three schools are laid The tower is designed specifically with the Positioned like a gateway between Shinjuku
out in 3 parts of the building; lower tier, middle environment in mind. This includes a Station, Tokyo's busiest train terminal, and the
tier and upper tier. cogeneration system, installed within the Shinjuku CBD (Central Business District), the
building, that produces about 40% of the building is revitalizing the area. A "3D
structure's power and thermal energy. This Pedestrian Network" of inviting passageways
Unlike the typical horizontally laid out school greatly increases the building's operational below and above ground, open to the public,
campus, the limited size of the site challenged efficiency and decreases energy costs. It also allows a free flow of pedestrian traffic. Along
Tange Associates to develop a new typology reduces potential greenhouse gas emissions with the addition of thousands of young
for educational architecture. Student lounges that contribute to global warming. The elliptic students, the building is a magnet for
are located between the classrooms, facing shape allows for even distribution of sunlight, businesses that will bring vitality to the area
three directions; east, southwest and thereby limiting heat radiation to the along with needed commerce. ®
northwest. Each atrium lounge is three-stories surrounding area. The shape also ensures that
high and offers sweeping views of the it aerodynamically disperses strong wind
surrounding cityscape (see Figure 4). As new streams; an important issue in this high-rise

Figure 2. The low rise building adjacent to the high rise Figure 4. Three-story high student lounges in between the classrooms facing east, southwest and northwest offering
tower, houses two major auditoriums. stunning views of Tokyo's skyline.

CTBUH Journal | 2009 Issue I Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower | 17

The elliptic shape permits more ground space
to be dedicated to landscaping at the
building’s narrow base, while the narrow top
portion of the tower allows unobstructed
views of the sky. The nurturing forces of nature
are close at hand to the student; an inspiring
environment in which to study, learn and
grow. For the community, the fascinating
design of Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower is a
welcome contribution to the urban landscape
and an example of how such design
innovation benefits and impacts its immediate
surroundings.

Structural overview
Both superstructures are steel construction
with CFT (concrete filled tube) columns. The
basement structure is a composite
construction of steel and reinforced concrete
with RC shear walls. The foundation is a Figure 5. Fabrication sequence of intersection node

combination of a raft and cast-in-situ concrete

piles. The pile positions could not be identical The DG frames are located at the perimeter, are rigidly connected to the intersection of the
with the column positions due to the giving the structure a wide stance. It then is diagrid frames and cranked at the beam above
complexity of the column arrangement so a able to efficiently transfer lateral force and the partition, between classroom and corridor,
3.8m thick raft slab above the piles was used to overturning moment due to earthquake or towards the columns of the inner core. The
transfer the vertical forces from the columns to wind to the basement. The DG frames are 24m floor beams are rigidly connected at both
the piles. wide with intersections every 4 meters on ends. As a result, the exposed beams in the
each floor level, and they curve in a vertical classrooms look well-ordered. Furthermore,
ellipse. Storey heights are such that the the diagrid frames are robustly stiffened
The main structure consists of three elliptical
distance on the elliptical line is uniformly 3.7m, against out-of-plane buckling.
diagrid (DG) frames and an inner core frame.
so that the DG members intersect at the same
The building has relatively large storey shear
angle on each floor. This produces smooth
deformations in the middle storeys due to the At intermittent levels there are 3-storey
external patterns and significantly simplifies
bending of each of the DG frames. Because atriums, for use by the students, as places to
the fabrication of steel and exterior cladding
the three diagrid frames are connected rigidly take breaks. The external glazing of the
units. Diagrid members are mainly I-sections
with each other at the base and the top only, atriums is three storeys high and the
400mm wide and 400mm deep, which is
the structure can be viewed as a portal frame maximum width is nearly 20m. Double-arched
relatively small for such a slender high-rise
with large rotations in the middle and smaller vierendeel truss beams are provided at each
building and serves to maximize the internal
rotations at the top and bottom. The storey floor level to carry the weight of glazing panels
space.
drift of the perimeter frame is largely through and resist wind pressure. The vierendeel beams
bending while the storey drift of the inner core are hung from the beams above so that no
is by shear. Viscous oil dampers have been The floor beams of classrooms support the structural member obstructs the view on any
utilized to exploit the shear deformation of the floor loads and connect the diagrid frames and storey.
core and to dissipate the associated seismic the inner core horizontally preventing
energy. The inner core has six viscous dampers out-of-plane buckling of the diagrid frames.
on each floor from the 15th to the 39th floor. Most of the classrooms are architecturally Connection design is one of the challenges of
The dampers reduce the seismic force that designed for exposed floor beams and service a diagrid structure because many members
needs to be resisted by the structure. ducts in the ceiling while other areas are (seven in this case) from various angles are
finished by ceiling boards. Parallel floor beams concentrated at one point. There were many

18 | Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower CTBUH Journal | 2009 Issue I

meetings between the engineers and Retractable roof

fabricators to find a solution that was

reasonable to fabricate and structurally robust.
In the adopted solution the intersection node
is fabricated from a number of rolled plates
(see Figure 5) and butt-welded with the DG
and floor members on site.

Roof facilities
Unlike many other high-rise buildings, this Structural roof plan 3D graphics of top roof
building does not have a flat surface on top
Turntable
giving a priority to the architectural shape. Crossing columns supporting top roof
However, an exterior cleaning system and the Rails for
hanger
provision of a hovering space for helicopters
are essential for a high-rise building in Japan.

To provide a hovering space of 10m square, a

retractable roof was designed (see Figure 6).
Half of the floor is attached to the retractable
roof. At the request of the Tokyo Fire
Department the roof can be opened within 8
minutes by a pair of hydraulic jacks, forming Rail for
gondola
the hovering space.
Structural plan of hovering space Trails of gondola hanger's arm

Figure 6. Roof facilities

The maximum wind speed that allows
hovering is 15m/sec. Although the shape of
the retractable roof suggests the possibility of
Site erection Conclusion
aerodynamic, unstable vibration during the
opening, it has been confirmed that it should Steel erection on site has been carried out in a Many high-rise buildings have been built in
not occur even in a 30m/sec wind speed as, cycle of three storeys by the following highly seismic countries, like Japan, in recent
per the Japanese loading standard. sequence. decades. However, most of them are box-
shaped with vertical columns. The shape of
the building proposed by the architect was
A gondola hanger is installed below the 1. The inner core frame is erected with strongly favored by the client. Thus, those
hovering space and moves around on the rails sufficient accuracy and welded. engaging in the design and construction have
arranged in a Y-shape with a turntable at the 2. Each intersection node and two DG made every effort to achieve this shape.
centre. The hanger is able to deliver the members are assembled into an inverted
gondola to all external surfaces of the building V-shape with temporary bolt connections
by extending and revolving the arm at each and erected. The completion of this uniquely shaped
end of the Y-shaped rails (see Figure 6). skyscraper could be regarded as a significant
3. Floor beams are erected and aligned. achievement in Japan’s history of high-rise
4. Bolt tightening and welding. buildings. „
To enable the hanger to revolve the arm, the
floor for hovering and the top roof are
supported by three pairs of crossing columns External glazing panels were also assembled
only. The perimeter steelwork is on the same on site into 6.0m wide by 3.7m high units and
level as the hanger’s arm and made of sliding this installation followed three storeys below
doors. the steel erection.

CTBUH Journal | 2009 Issue I Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower | 19