Planners reveal design of world's tallest tower for downtown Tokyo

TOKYO — Japanese planners on Friday revealed the design of a huge broadcast tower that is set to become the world's tallest structure upon completion in 2011.

The tower will stand 2,013 feet tall, according to Tobu Railway, which has provided land for the project. It will claim the title from the CN Tower in Toronto, a 1,815-foot communications structure and outlook point that is the world's tallest freestanding structure.

Dubbed the "New Tokyo Tower," the building will replace a 1,090-foot tower built in 1958.

The tower, designed by award-winning Japanese architect Tadao Ando and sculptor Kiichi Sumikawa, will stand on a triangular foundation. But its slender body will turn into a cylinder as it stretches upward, its bluish-silver color blending into the sky.

The tower is being built by Japan's six top broadcasters and is expected to greatly bolster television and radio transmissions in the capital.

Though it competes with a plethora of skyscrapers, the old tower is one of Tokyo's most visible landmarks and is visited by 2.5 million tourists each year. The new tower will stand in the capital's Sumida ward, an area between the Sumida and Arakawa rivers known for its old-Tokyo ambience.

Sumida ward beat out 15 areas in Tokyo to host the tower.