Tower of Winds Yokohama architecture, Japan high-rise building photos, modern Japanese structure architect

Tower of Winds, Japan : Yokohama Architecture

Japanese Structure design by Toyo Ito Architects

post updated 29 March 2026

Design: Toyo Ito Architect

photograph : Wiiii

Location: Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa, Japan

19 Mar 2013

Tower of Winds

Period: March 1986 – November 1986
Structure: steel frame
Building Area: 43.45m2

photo : Tomio Ohashi

Tower of Winds images / information from Toyo Ito

Project Description from the RIBA Royal Gold Medal Award in 2006:

In this Japanese building “Ito represents the visual complexity of Tokyo metaphorically in terms of a never-ceasing, ever-changing wind. The tower, a light sculpture that responds to wind speed and directions, was designed years before anyone else explored the use of photo-responsive glass or ‘interactive architecture’ in the same way. The project was completed in 1986.”

Toyo Ito Architect

The Tower of Winds is one of the most iconic experimental works of late 20th-century architecture, designed by Toyo Ito in 1986 in Yokohama.

Overview:

At first glance, it appears to be a simple cylindrical tower, but it is actually a transformation of an existing concrete structure—originally a water tank and ventilation shaft for an underground shopping mall.

Ito reimagined this purely functional object into a technological urban landmark, turning infrastructure into architecture.

Design & Concept:

The tower is about 21 meters high and clad in perforated aluminum panels that reflect the surrounding city during the day.

At night, it becomes something entirely different:

Over 1,000 lights, neon rings, and floodlights activate the façade
Sensors measure wind speed and ambient noise
The lighting system translates these environmental inputs into constantly changing light patterns

The result is a building that responds in real time to its environment, effectively making invisible forces—wind and sound—visible.

Location: Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa, Japan, East Asia