Tokyo Sky Tree

When the old Tokyo Tower was declared obsolete after 50 years of broadcasting TV signals to the people of Japan, engineers were faced with unique challenges to build a replacement.

It needed to be ultra high-rise but take up as little space as possible in a crowded city of 40 million people. It also had to be able to withstand earthquakes and extreme high winds.

Thanks to the advanced engineering techniques, the Sky Tree was completed in 2012.

At 634m, it is the world’s tallest freestanding tower, and the second-tallest structure after the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. A groundbreaking system of oil dampers makes it earthquakeresistant – the designers say it can soak up 50 per cent of the energy from tremors. An observatory at 450m is one of Tokyo’s most popular tourist attractions, but the glass floor section means it is not for the faint-hearted. Impossible Engineering August 8 on Yesterday