Record-breaking typhoon winds are bearing down on Tokyo, threatening to tear roofs from houses and rip up trees across the country. This is a problem for many buildings, but not for the Tokyo Skytree — the tourist attraction and broadcasting tower in Tokyo’s Sumida Ward.
At 634 meters tall, the Skytree became Japan’s tallest structure, and the tallest tower in the world, when it was completed in 2011.
Designed by architectural firm Nikken Sekkei, the tower was built to withstand Japan’s “severe natural environment,” with particular attention paid to the threat of earthquakes and typhoons.