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Precast concrete panels on the facade of the OMM, seen from the sunken garden on the south side of the complex.
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Parking Area
Display Hatt
Pilotis
Keitas Electric Railways
0
10
20
30M
Elevation
Revolving Restaurant
ELEVATION
"Sunken Garden
Lightweight
THREE HUNDRED stores are accom- modated in a new 22-storey whole- saling complex built at Osaka and known as the OMM Building (Osaka Merchandising Mart).
The stores occupy the fourth to 18th floors of the building, the whole- salers, who deal mostly in textiles, pre- viously being dispersed over a wide area of Osaka, which is Japan's second biggest city.
OMM is the tallest building in western Japan. It has a height of 78 metres. Four of its floors are under- ground and it has a total floor space of 131,415 sq. metres.
Included in the building are many service facilities. There is a spacious display centre for special trade shows in the projecting wing of the second and third floors. Beneath this projec- tion runs the Keihan Electric Railway which links Osaka and Kyoto.
Conference halls are on the 19th and 20th floors; one seats more than 1,000 people. The third floor is set aside for offices, a computer centre and clinics, while banks are at first floor level.
In addition to many cafeterias and parlours on the second basement floor, there are first-class restaurants on three other floors, including a 'sky- view' revolving restaurant on the 22nd.
Roof garden
roof-
Among other features are top garden on the 21st floor and park- ing areas capable of accommodating 700 cars at a time. On the south side of the building is another garden which is sunk one storey below ground level. Two flights of steps link this 'sunken garden' with the street above. The lowest floor is used as a large storage area.
Construction began in April 1967 and was completed in two years and four months. Computers were used in designing the basic structure, perform- ing the complex calculations needed to analyze ground conditions and to de- termine the structural strength re- quired against vibrations.
Construction is of steel and reinforced concrete, lightweight con- crete being used above fourth floor level. For the exterior cladding some 5,000 precast concrete plates were used.
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Far East BUILDER, February 1970