Fuji Broadcasting Center

Fuji Broadcasting Center recreates the headquarters of the Japanese broadcaster that stands in Odaiba, Tokyo, a landmark designed by Kenzo Tange. The real building's open lattice frame is the thing that makes it recognizable, and the schematic nails it: two tall slabs connected by a grid of beams and sky corridors, with wide gaps left open to the sky between them.

The titanium sphere that the original is famous for hangs near the top, built as a rough ball of gray blocks held between the walkways. White and blue blocks run across every facade in tight horizontal bands to stand in for the window rows, and the base is laid out with stepped plazas, raised planters with cherry trees and hedges, and wide staircases up from street level. It's a demanding build to pull off in blocks, and the result works as a centerpiece for any modern city project.