Tokyo Node Café and Lab: A Creative Oasis in Toranomon Hills Tower

Located on the 8th floor of Toranomon Hills Station Tower in Minato City, Tokyo, the Tokyo Node Café and Lab by Jo Nagasaka + Schemata Architects (2023) transforms a high-rise floor into a welcoming, creative retreat. Spanning 482 m², the café and lab serve as the entry point to the TOKYO NODE complex, which extends from the 8th to the 49th floors, integrating business, art, technology, and entertainment.

Designed as a cozy hideaway within a skyscraper, the café emphasizes comfort and leisure rather than high seating density. The interior concept revolves around “peeling off” parts of the conventional, finished office space to reveal raw elements such as exposed concrete, ceiling structures, and raised access flooring. This design approach creates a striking contrast with the polished environment of the surrounding building while fostering a sense of openness and creativity.

The café uses warm, tactile materials and diverse, well-used furniture to create a relaxed, inviting atmosphere. Red accents, inspired by the peeled-off carpet, connect the interior visually with the overall architecture by Shohei Shigematsu/OMA NY, reinforcing a subtle dialogue between the café and the tower’s grand design. Seating arrangements vary, with tables and chairs of differing sizes and densities to encourage casual social interaction.

The lab area incorporates a flexible pole system for engineer desks and partitions, allowing users to modify the layout and adapt the space to evolving needs. This approach mirrors the larger ethos of TOKYO NODE, which aims to activate vertical movement within the tower and encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration among visitors, residents, and professionals.

In essence, Tokyo Node Café and Lab is not just a café: it is a creative node, a space for relaxation, experimentation, and human connection, bringing warmth and adaptability to the towering environment of Toranomon Hills.

All photographs are works of  Kenta Hasegawa