Sony to demolish iconic Ginza building in 2017
The 50-year old Sony Building in Tokyo’s Ginza area will be demolished in 2017 to make way for a temporary park, and finally a replacement building by 2022.
The building sits on a prime 700 sqm (7,500 sq.ft) corner block of land just 180 meters from the historic Wako Building and the Mitsukoshi Department Store. The land is used as one of the government’s chika-koji annual land survey sites. In 2016, the land had a surveyed value of 34,700,000 Yen/sqm (approx. 31,000 USD/sq.ft), which would make the 700 sqm site valued at approximately 24.5 billion Yen (approx. 235 million USD). The valuation was up 18.03% from 2015, and has increased by a staggering 151% since 2002. Read more
Demolition of philosopher’s home in Kyoto starts this week
Demolition of the former home of philosopher Kitaro Nishida (1870-1945) started earlier this week. Nishida, founder of the Kyoto School of philosophy, rented the traditional Japanese house from 1912 ~ 1922. It is 500 meters north-west of Kyoto University, where he was a professor.
The 2-storey, wooden house was built in the later part of the Meiji era (1868-1912) as a rental property, with the landlord living nearby. The deteriorated condition of the 100+ year-old house was cited as the reason for demolition. It is expected that it will be replaced with apartments.
Historic Kudan Kaikan to be replaced with high-rise building
There are plans to convert the historic Kudan Kaikan building near the Imperial Palace in Tokyo into a 75-meter tall office building. Tenders will soon be open to developers, with the requirements that proposals include retaining parts of the historic facade or at least attempting to recreate the facade, and for a new building with a height of no more than 75 meters.Read more
Apartments planned for former Dojunkai housing block in Shinagawa
A densely packed neighbourhood built after the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake is about to be demolished and replaced with a 40 meter tall, 13-storey apartment building. Construction is scheduled to start in 2017 with completion by early 2019.
The former Dojunkai Ebara Jutaku was a housing subdivision that was developed as part of Tokyo’s recovery following the devastating 1923 earthquake. It contained a number of wood-framed 2-storey homes fronting onto narrow pathways. The neighbourhood was originally laid out in a circular pattern, similar to the area in front of Denenchofu Station, with 356 houses, a playground, clinic and shops. Most of the area was destroyed during WWII air raids and re-arranged post-war, with only the current small block surviving to this day.Read more
116-year old building in Kobe to be razed by developer
One of Kobe’s earliest western-style buildings has been sold to a developer and will be demolished to make way for a high-rise apartment building. The property, which was sold along with an adjoining block of land, had a price tag of several billion Yen.
Yoshimura Junzo house in Nishiazabu demolished
A house designed by modernist architect Yoshimura Junzo (1907-1997) in central Tokyo’s Nishiazabu neighbourhood has been demolished.
The ‘Tagakicho House’ was built in 1968 and was a 2-storey reinforced concrete house with a basement. The total size of the house was 624 sqm (6,714 sq.ft). It was constructed by Takenaka Corporation - one of Japan’s biggest construction companies.Read more
Historic residence in Ichigaya to be partially demolished
A 88-year old traditional Japanese residence in the Ichigaya neighbourhood in Shinjuku will be partially demolished. The house was built in 1928 as a residence for a wealthy shipping industry magnate from Toyama Prefecture. It was designed by architect Tetsuro Yoshida, an architect for the Ministry of Communications.
The 2-storey, 582 sqm house sits on a 3,837 sqm landscaped block of land. It includes a blend of both traditional Japanese and western styles, and is one of the few remaining large pre-war homes in Tokyo.Read more