Shinjuku Eastside Square, Skyscraper in Shinjuku district, Japan

Shinjuku Eastside Square is a 20-storey office and commercial complex in Shinjuku 6-chome, completed in May 2012. Its facade combines light grey precast concrete panels with small rectangular windows and a vertical band of blue glass on one section, and a darker curtain wall of reflective blue and black glass panels set at slightly different angles on the other. The building rises from a base partly screened by trees.

The site once held the Nippon Television Golf Garden, a driving range that opened in 1972 and closed in 2000. In 2007 the area was designated a townscape regeneration district, and a consortium led by Mitsubishi Estate won the redevelopment bid. Construction began in May 2010, and the building was completed in May 2012, with grand opening in September 2012.

The site was a Nippon TV golf driving range until 2000; the complex that replaced it opened in September 2012. Its sunken garden, lined with restaurants and clinics, links directly to Higashi-Shinjuku Station, and the landscaped grounds won the 2014 Japan Landscape Consultants Association design award.

The complex connects directly to Higashi-Shinjuku Station for easy access to all levels. Be aware that different areas have varying activity levels throughout the day, so timing your visit can affect your experience.

The irregular glass and precast concrete facade is not purely decorative: it was designed to reduce pressure on the surroundings, cut reflected sunlight, protect neighbours' privacy and limit reflections in the glass. The building also uses double-skin walls on the east, west and south faces and an air-barrier fan on the north face, cutting CO2 emissions by about 25% compared with typical large Tokyo offices at completion.