Crystal Tower, Skyscraper in Chūō-ku, Japan

Crystal Tower is a 37-storey, 150-metre skyscraper at the western end of Osaka Business Park in Chūō-ku, Osaka. Its facade is a full glass curtain wall of blue-tinted panels set in a dense grid of thin horizontal lines and closely spaced vertical mullions, with a darker recessed vertical channel running the full height near the left corner. The building is oriented east-west, with the office floors opening south toward Osaka Castle Park and the core pushed to the north.

Construction began in April 1988 and finished in 1990, when the tower opened as part of Osaka Business Park, developed at the district's western edge by Takenaka Corporation and Asahi Building. It won the 33rd BCS Award, the 12th Osaka Machinami Award and the 1994 Good Design Award.

The tower houses offices of major companies from different industries and reflects Osaka's role as an important business hub. It represents how modern commerce shapes the character of the city's skyline.

The building sits centrally with good access by public transportation and is easy to find for visiting business partners. Keep in mind that access is limited to public areas such as lobbies or restaurants, as most of the space consists of private offices.

Six of the nine ice-storage machines on the roof, each weighing 90 tons, hang like pendulums and act as tuned mass dampers against wind sway. According to the Japanese Wikipedia article, this was the first high-rise in Japan to use ice-storage equipment for vibration control. The building won the 33rd BCS Award, the 12th Osaka Machinami Award and the 1994 Good Design Award.