Gate Tower Building, Osaka
- Name: Gate Tower Building
- Location: Fukushima-ku, Osaka, Japan
- Height: 16 floors (plus two basement levels)
- Completion: 1992
- Architects: Azusa Sekkei and Yamamoto-Nishihara Kenchiku Sekkei Jimush
The Gate Tower Building is a 16-storey office building in Osaka, Japan. It is well-known for including the highway off-ramp at the Umeda Exit of the Hanshin Expressway system.
The 71.9 m-tall building, is made from reinforced concrete and steel and is fitted with a helipad on the roof. It was completed in 1992.
The unusual design was the result of a compromise between the landowner and the Japanese government. The landowners had originally purchased the site in the mid-19th century and wanted to redevelop it. However, in 1983 the building permits were refused because the government had already planned the Expressway. The property rights’ holders refused to relinquish the property, and after five years of negotiation with the Hanshin Expressway Corporation, a compromise was struck – the road would pass through the building.
The Expressway passes between floors 5-7 of the building and is deemed to be the tenant of those floors. The road does not make physical contact with the building but instead passes through as a bridge which is held up by supports next to the building. It is surrounded by a casing structure that protects the building from vibration.
The only significant alterations the building designers had to make were to instal sound insulating walls and for the elevators to pass from floor 4 to floor 8 without stopping.
Since the completion of the building in 1992, Japan’s highway laws, city planning laws, city redevelopment laws and building codes were partly revised to allow the unified development of highways and buildings in the same space, to prevent such negotiations from occurring again.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
Featured articles and news
Global Asbestos Awareness Week 2025
Highlighting the continuing threat to trades persons.
The context, schemes, standards, roles and relevance of the Building Safety Act.
Retrofit 25 – What's Stopping Us?
Exhibition Opens at The Building Centre.
Types of work to existing buildings
A simple circular economy wiki breakdown with further links.
A threat to the creativity that makes London special.
How can digital twins boost profitability within construction?
The smart construction dashboard, as-built data and site changes forming an accurate digital twin.
Unlocking surplus public defence land and more to speed up the delivery of housing.
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
An outline of the bill with a mix of reactions on potential impacts from IHBC, CIEEM, CIC, ACE and EIC.
Farnborough College Unveils its Half-house for Sustainable Construction Training.
Spring Statement 2025 with reactions from industry
Confirming previously announced funding, and welfare changes amid adjusted growth forecast.
Scottish Government responds to Grenfell report
As fund for unsafe cladding assessments is launched.
CLC and BSR process map for HRB approvals
One of the initial outputs of their weekly BSR meetings.
Architects Academy at an insulation manufacturing facility
Programme of technical engagement for aspiring designers.
Building Safety Levy technical consultation response
Details of the planned levy now due in 2026.
Great British Energy install solar on school and NHS sites
200 schools and 200 NHS sites to get solar systems, as first project of the newly formed government initiative.
600 million for 60,000 more skilled construction workers
Announced by Treasury ahead of the Spring Statement.
The restoration of the novelist’s birthplace in Eastwood.
Life Critical Fire Safety External Wall System LCFS EWS
Breaking down what is meant by this now often used term.
PAC report on the Remediation of Dangerous Cladding
Recommendations on workforce, transparency, support, insurance, funding, fraud and mismanagement.
New towns, expanded settlements and housing delivery
Modular inquiry asks if new towns and expanded settlements are an effective means of delivering housing.