It was the architect Renzo Piano's goal to translate the elegance of the French fashion house Hermes into a transparent and thin building in the heart of Tokyo's fashionable shopping district Ginza. The building is elevated 14 floors above ground and three below for a total surface of 6,000 square metres.

The tower is entirely wrapped in a crystal skin. The same square module of glass was used 13,000 times to establish the homogeneous facade create the effect of a great japanese lantern lighting up at night. Every element of the building was designed to withstand earthquakes and absorb seismic shockwaves. Similarities with the iconic Maison de verre, a Parisian modernist building, cannot be denied.