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AgenciesJapanese insurance giant Tokio Marine Holdings Inc. said Monday it will begin preparations this year to replace its current head office with a high-rise building largely made of timber.The new building, which will be in central Tokyo and also house the new headquarters of its subsidiary Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., will be one of the world’s largest using timber and will be completed in fiscal 2028, the firm and its subsidiary said in a press release.The building will be 100 meters tall and incorporate domestically sourced timber into its pillars, flooring and other areas such as a rooftop garden, they said.Recent technological advances have made it possible to construct timber high-rise buildings, such as the one envisioned for Tokio Marine and its unit that will be sufficiently sturdy and fire resistant.The firms said they also hope to support the local timber industry, given that a large portion of the materials for construction will be homegrown timber.Tokio Marine and its subsidiary have temporarily relocated their head offices as demolition of the current site is set to start in October, with construction of the new building to begin in December 2024 and completion scheduled for fiscal 2028.The building meant to resemble a large tree has been designed by architecture firm Renzo Piano Building Workshop, headed by Italian architect Renzo Piano.His firm is also behind international projects such as The Shard skyscraper in London, Britain, as well as Kansai International Airport Terminal in the western Japan city of Osaka.The envisaged high-rise building will have 20 floors as well as three underground floors, and will replace the current Tokio Marine offices that sit on an avenue leading from Tokyo Station, a major transport hub, to the Imperial Palace.According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, as of April there are 29 planned or already constructed timber buildings over six stories tall in Japan, including the Tokio Marine tower. Also among them is a 17-floor building being constructed by Mitsui Fudosan Co. in Tokyo’s Nihombashi district and set to be completed in 2025.
