The "Challenge of Modern Architecture Manufacturing" exhibition held in Kobe at the end of last year and was well received, and the Nagoya venue was opened.

The venue is the special exhibition room of the Toyota Industrial Technology Memorial Hall. If you go through the exhibition from the left entrance to the right exit, you can follow the transition of architectural technology from late Tokugawa shogunate to before the Showa War.

The first is a corner that introduces the work of the masters of the Edo period. Works in Edo shogunate In addition to the precious ritual carpenter tools that were introduced to the large building beams and the Koura family, the work that the construction industry later worked on during the Edo period by the Takenaka and Shimizu families.

Chapter 1 is "Civilization and enlightenment of Architecture." Introduces the pseudo-Western style architecture of Kisuke Shimizu, the second generation, which was the pioneer of modern architecture. In front of the right is the head of the Mitsui Gumi, a foreign exchange bank that has been miraculously left behind. Although the building is broken, the pillars are well-made and genuine.

Next, we introduce the technology of wooden and brick construction introduced from West. In the back left, you can see the hands-on corner “Challenge brick stacking” which was well received in Kobe. You can feel the difference between British and French shipments while actually loading.

Chapter 2 is "The fight against historicalism." It is an era in which Japanese architects and contractors appear, and Japan is struggling to create a full-fledged historicalist architecture that is not inferior to West. Here, we trace the process of establishing a modern architecture industry through drawings and materials.

As a building technology of this era, we introduce attempts to make bricks earthquake-resistant and design, focusing on materials such as Mitsubishi No. 1 Building, the Ministry of Justice, and Tokyo Station. The iron and concrete technology, which is partially introduced in brick structures, has become a valuable learning place that will lead to the next era.

Chapter 3, "Iron and Concrete" introduces steel frame and reinforced concrete technologies that appear instead of brick structures. The right is a steel-framed Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi pillar leg, and the left is a reinforced concrete reinforcement model of a reinforced concrete cardiacin.

Tiles and terracotta are also introduced as exterior expressions of reinforced concrete buildings.

At the end of the exhibition, we introduce the Meiji Seimeikan, a famous architecture completed in 1934 (1934) as the destination of historicalist architecture. It was just 80 years since the opening of the Japan-US Peace Treaty in 1854 (1854). I am only surprised by the progress in design and construction technology that has been achieved during that time.

At the theater corner, videos of the construction of the Osaka Gas Building and the Meiji Seimeikan are screened. At first glance, it is a seemingly pale video, but there are many interesting scenes such as the state of construction full of handwork and dangerous work that is not very conceivable now.

The panel near the exit of the venue introduces the techniques of modern architecture found at the Toyota Industrial Technology Memorial Hall. Just a little further from the exhibition hall, you can actually see the brick walls of factories in the Taisho era, as well as the techniques of wooden, steel, and reinforced concrete. If you look at it together with the exhibition, you will be able to deepen your understanding of modern architectural techniques.

This exhibition will be held until April 3rd. During the period, tours (February 6), workshops (February 14), and lectures (February 28) will be held as commemorative events (Click here for details). Please come and visit us.