On May 21, a tour "Getting around the masterpieces of modern architecture-the present of preservation and utilization-" was held. This is a project to see two masterpieces of an office building in the early Showa era located in the center of Tokyo.

The first visit was the Meijiya Kyobashi Building (completed in 1933), which was renovated between 2013 and 2015. First, they introduced the outline using slides in the hall of the Shimizu Corporation headquarters building, and moved to the site to observe the exterior.

Hiroshi YokoFujita (Shimizu Corporation) was in charge of the construction. The participants' eyes are directed at the feet of the building, thanks to the detailed explanation of how to handle the deviation caused by seismic isolation at the joint between the building and the ground in advance. If there is no explanation, you can clearly understand how to not notice and not notice.

Next, we will visit the Meiji Seimeikan (completed in 1876), which moves about 15 minutes on foot and displays the materials at the "History of Modern Architecture in Materials" exhibition. Mr. Toru Nakajima (Takenaka Corporation), who was in charge of preservation and restoration work performed between 2001 and 2005, talked about the early Showa era techniques learned through repairs and the difficulties of repair.

After seeing the stones and grills of the exterior from the outside, we toured the hall. The picture above explains the metal fittings of the window. Even in the same window, detailed attention is given to usability, such as changing metal fittings depending on the height.

At first glance, you can fully recognize the value of Historic buildings as a matter of course, but thanks to the careful explanation of what kind of technology it was created, it was a very meaningful tour with a deeper understanding of its value. Considering that many famous buildings in this area have been demolished, it will remind you of the gratitude that they will be left behind and used in the future.

The next event related to the "History of Modern Architecture in the Materials" exhibition will be a lecture on June 12 (Sun). This is not required, the first 300 people on the day. If you are interested, please join us.