TOKYO: Tokio Marine Holdings Inc. unveiled on Monday a design for its new headquarters building in Tokyo, which will be the largest wooden building in Japan.

The new building in the Marunouchi business district will have 20 stories aboveground and three underground, with its total floor space reaching about 130,000 square meters. Domestically-produced lumber with fire resistant properties will be used for its pillars and the floor.

Construction work will begin in December 2024, with completion expected for fiscal 2028.

The design of the new building was made by Italian architect Renzo Piano, who also designed Kansai International Airport’s terminal building in Osaka Prefecture, western Japan.

The Tokio Marine building will use around 10,000 cubic meters of wood, one of the largest amounts of wood used in a building construction project in the world, according to Tokio Marine.

The company said that the amount of carbon dioxide produced during construction of the building will be 30 pct less than that for an average office building.

By using lumber produced in Japan, Tokio Marine also hopes to help revive the country’s forestry industry.

JIJI Press