Ao (building)

{{Short description|Building in Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan}} 333px|thumb | right|Ao Building '''Ao''' or '''Ao Building''', is a commercial building located in Kita-Aoyama 3-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo.<ref>{{cite web |title=About |url=http://www.daisho-aus.com/property_portfolio/ao-building/ |publisher=Daisho}}</ref>

Ao was designed by architectural firm Nihon Sekkei, which also designed Ghibli Museum and Toranomon Hills.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bergström |first1=Kim |title=An Architectural Guide of Omotesando |url=https://en.japantravel.com/guide/an-architectural-guide-of-omotesando/68398 |publisher=Japan Travel |date=February 4, 2022}}</ref>

The 16-story reinforced concrete building is asymmetrical and thus the upper floors are larger than lower floors.<ref name=twist>{{cite web |last1=Kaiser |first1=Amanda |title=Ao Building Brings Twist to Aoyama |url=https://wwd.com/business-news/real-estate/ao-building-brings-twist-to-aoyama-2120119/ |work=Women's Wear Daily |date=May 4, 2009|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210802100244/https://wwd.com/business-news/real-estate/ao-building-brings-twist-to-aoyama-2120119/ |archive-date=August 2, 2021}}</ref>

It has 2 basement floors and 16 floors above ground, and consists of a low-rise building and a high-rise building, the latter of which is approximately 90m tall. It opened on March 26, 2009. It is lit up with LEDs at night. The name comes from "Aoyama" and also is a homophone of "let's meet" (会おう) in Japanese. The building cost approximately $200 million to construct and develop.<ref name=twist />

The high-rise building houses office tenants, and the low-rise building houses commercial facilities such as fashion brand stores such as Cinéma Quanon from France and Momotaro Jeans from Kurashiki, beauty salons, restaurants serving Italian, Austrian, and Hungarian cuisine, as well as cafes and cafe bars. The building was built on the site of the former Kinokuniya, which has reopened in the basement. CHANEL had a street-level store selling perfumes and cosmetics, now closed.{{failed verification|date=May 2026}}<ref name=twist />

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{official| http://www.ao-aoyama.com/}}

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Category:2008 establishments in Japan Category:Buildings and structures in Minato, Tokyo Category:Neo-futurist architecture Category:Tourist attractions in Tokyo Category:Towers completed in 2008