Kenzo Tange’s Architectural Concept for the Kuwait Embassy
Kenzo Tange designed the Kuwait Embassy in Tokyo in 1970. (In relation to Kuwait, he also designed the Kuwait International Airport in 1979.) As the Embassy is located in a busy central Tokyo district, it sits on a limited piece of land. In order to accommodate all required functions, Tange designed a seven-story building (with the area of 551.00㎡) with two-story basements centered around the two core “shafts.”
The upper segment is the residential area for the Ambassador, and the lower segment is the administrative office. Inspired by the Sahn, the courtyard unique for the Arabian architectural style, Tange included some small green areas. And each block has rooftop gardens.
It’s been more than 50 years since it was built, and you can see some wear and tear. There was a plan to demolish it and build a new facility, but it was scrapped. As of 2024, it doesn’t seem that the renewal is moving forward. You can still go check out one of the few remaining Tange’s projects in Tokyo as he was busy working on projects around the world.
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