The ever-changing area around Shibuya Station is being redeveloped, reportedly on a once-in-a-century scale. Tokyu Construction has built another new landmark in Shibuya following SHIBUYA STREAM, which started operation in September 2018.
Tokyu Corporation and partner companies have come together to develop a large-scaled project for the area around Shibuya Station, aiming to create Entertainment City SHIBUYA—a stage to communicate world-leading business and culture. One element of this project, the Phase I of SHIBUYA SCRAMBLE SQUARE (East Tower), opened in November 2019 as a new landmark that directly connects to the Shibuya Station, boasting a height of 230 meters. This project was undertaken by Tokyu Construction and completed after five years, while prioritizing safety and the pedestrian flow in Shibuya, which is one of the most crowded areas in Japan.
Overview of Work
- Project name
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Phase I of SHIBUYA SCRAMBLE SQUARE (East Tower)
- Owned by
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TOKYU CORPORATION
East Japan Railway Company
Tokyo Metro Co., Ltd.
- Construction site
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2-24-12, Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
- Usage
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Offices, shops, observation facilities, parking spaces, etc.
- Total floor area
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Approx. 181,000 ㎡
- Number of floors
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47 stories above ground, 7 underground
- Height
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Approx. 230 m
- Scheduled opening
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November 1, 2019
Overall Roadmap for Redevelopment Project in Shibuya
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Overall Roadmap for Redevelopment Project in Shibuya©Shibuya Station DistrictArea Management
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SHIBUYA SCRAMBLE SQUARE (East Tower)
What Tokyu Construction, which knows Shibuya inside and
out, has done so far
Our work environment in the project imposes an array of constraints, because it is being conducted directly above Shibuya Station. The area receives the most number of visitors of anywhere in Japan and is surrounded by JR train lines, the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, and National Route 246 above ground, as well as the Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line and the Tokyu Toyoko Line on the underground levels. The Shibuya River also flows through the site. Our company proposed establishing pedestrian pathways within the building, considering that “securing safe routes for users of Shibuya Station to take during the project” is the most crucial point for propelling the project smoothly forward. This has elevated the difficulty of the project because it additionally requires us to ensure the safety of users. Still, we have successfully brought forward the proposal using our knowhow of “securing routes that users can take” and “carrying out construction work in a way that does not hinder the operation of railways” that we have cultivated through our experience with Shibuya Hikarie and other projects. I will introduce three of our capabilities required execute this kind of proposal.
Cooperation that transcends the boundary between civil engineering and building construction
Our company engages in a number of projects, including SHIBUYA STREAM and land readjustment at Shibuya Station’s East Exit. We take advantage of the collective strength of Tokyu Construction to cooperate beyond the boundary between the civil engineering division and the building construction division by making sure that opportunities are presented to the workers to coordinate operations and share information. Although such cooperation is said to be difficult to achieve, we have succeeded in facilitating smooth coordination between the divisions due to a corporate culture where civil engineering and building construction have been united and shaped. The ultimate goal of each project has been shared among the workers involved.
Management of construction projects
Over 2,000 skilled construction workers are devoted to projects daily at peak periods. The information and communication technology (ICT) of our company’s original management system, “TcPass,” controls the entering and leaving of staff. Furthermore, the “Foreman’s Committee,” which consists of the foremen of subcontractors serving as the personnel in charge of work site management, plays a key role to manage the duties of respective workers. Duties of the “Supervisor Council” include serving as the body in charge of managing work at each floor where workers from a number of subcontractors work and planning a ceremony for raising a ridgepole. The council fosters teamwork at each work site by cooperating with the prime contractor while respecting autonomy there.
Management of carrying-in and carrying-out
– On-the-dot distribution of items –
We are struggling to carry in and out necessary materials and equipment. This is due to multifarious constraints, including limited space, a small number of routes along which items can be moved, and time limitations that allow us to work only at night.
Therefore, we are striving to be as innovative as possible and use part of the upper floors as construction yards. We started off with working on the surroundings. In addition, we have developed and adopted a new system, “DandALL,” which comprehensively manages the schedule of carrying-in and carrying-out items, in an effort to move the required items in time. Information on the carrying-in and carrying-out of items is shared in real time with workers via tablet devices or smartphones that workers carry with them, significantly cutting down on the “wasted time” of waiting for items to be carried in. This system will be utilized continuously, as ICT that improves productivity at work sites.
Tokyu Construction’s power creates the future
A roughly 230-meter-tall new landmark is being built in Shibuya, fusing a number of people and a multitude of technologies, such as ICT. The experience obtained through the project will become capabilities to be utilized in a plethora of worksites, creating the future of towns and our company.
and the execution power of each member!
The experience gained through this project will become one of our company’s strong points
The project is not just large-scale, but it also requires coordination with a host of other redevelopment projects underway in a complex manner in the vicinity of Shibuya Station. That means that both the capability of each staff to execute their own duties and “team work” are essential. What I have been bearing in mind as project manager is keeping staff motivated. With the support of the head office and branch offices, I was able to create an environment that facilitates communication between staffs. Nearly 90 engineers from our company have been involved in the project, many of whom have likely experienced a first-hand feeling of the importance of working on a team. This work experience will become one of the strengths of our company as the scale of construction projects expands. A majority of our engineers decided to join our company because they want to “engage in large-scale construction projects that contribute to urban development.” The experience with this project will bring a positive facet to our young engineers, which I expect will help them grow as workers who will play pivotal roles in the future at our company.
Joined Tokyu Construction in 1989
Mr. Takeuchi was in charge of such duties as discussion and coordination with the client, procurement, and budget management, even in the bidding stage, as the chief engineer of the project of Shibuya Hikarie, which was completed in 2012. He has been participating in the Project to Construct the New East Tower in the Shibuya Station District (hereinafter referred to as “the project”) by utilizing that experience, even in the planning phase, and supervised the project as a whole as project manager. The project is difficult because it requires building an ultra-high-rise structure directly above Shibuya Station, the home of the Tokyu Group. However, he has been making every effort to bring success to the project by inspiring the team and himself.
