Gifu City Tower 43
Building details. The construction of Gifu City Tower 43 was planned by the Gifu Station West Area Urban Redevelopment Group, with planning beginning in 1983. The cost of the project was approximately 15 billion yen (US$130 million), with construction officially beginning on January 8, 2005. The property on which it has an area of about 11,000 square metres. The building itself has a footprint of 5,412.12 m², with floorspace totalling 57,600.44 m². Gifu City Tower 43 is composed mostly of reinforced concrete. On the roof of the building, there is a damper, which was designed  to reduce vibrations resulting from earthquakes by 20%. Design concept. When the tower was being designed and built, four concepts were implemented that would represent traditional and cultural aspects of Gifu City. The first concept was to use the observatory to correlate to Gifu Castle, home to Saitō Dōsan and Oda Nobunaga, both of whom made Gifu famous throughout the country. The second concept brings Gifu Lanterns into the design, using traditional designs of the lanterns on the outer walls to make the tower blend with the surrounding area. The third design brings in Gifu's former name, "Inokuchi" (井口 ), by creating lines down the each side of the building so, when it is viewed from above, it represents the character 井, which is also the city symbol. The fourth concept uses designs of cormorant fishing boats throughout the floors to blend traditional and modern design elements.