This unusual and striking building designed by interior designer turned architect Philippe Starck, is one of Tokyo's most notable modern landmarks. It has earned itself several unflattering nicknames among those who disdain its flashy self-important style but it is sure to please devotees of Starck's sleek and elegant style. Completed in 1989, it serves as a symbol of the Asahi Beer company at a location where Asahi has been making beer for over a century.
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Perched above the Sumidagawa river, the building is a shiny black form with a giant gold flame rising up from its flat roof. The building itself is covered with highly polished black granite. Its windows are small portholes which are almost invisible from a distance. The walls of the building curve gently outward towards the top, creating in effect a giant pedestal for the gold flame on top.
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The flame itself, from which the beer hall and restaurant within take their names, rises several stories and looms over the Sumidagawa river as a gilded monument to Asahi beer. It is constructed of metal and weighs over 300 tons. The simulated gold leaf finish makes the flame gleam by day and by night, when it is illuminated. The shape of the flame is easily recognized as a trademark form of the designer. It appears in almost all of his interiors, either as a sconce or a door handle. This, however, is the first instance in which Starck has used the form on such a massive scale. Although it has been interpreted by the people at Asahi as being a symbol of the burning soul of the company, it is such a recognizable element in all of the architect's work that it is hard not to see it as either a designer label or the self-conscious imprint of an egotist. This building should be a familiar structure with PGR fans.