Ken Corp plans to demolish Yokohama’s oldest warehouse
A local outcry has erupted after it was discovered that Minato-ku based real estate and expat leasing company, Ken Corporation, is considering demolishing the 104-year old Former Mitsui Bussan Yokohama Warehouse in Nihonodori, Yokohama.
The warehouse is one of the earliest structures in Japan to incorporate reinforced concrete in the construction. Built in 1910, the building has three floors as well as a basement and a total floor area of 2,194 sqm. It was designed by Oto Endo (1866-1943), a pioneer in designing RC buildings. He also designed the neighbouring Mitsui Bussan Yokohama Office Building (c1911), the Yokohama No. 2 Joint Government Office Building (c1926) and the Yokohama Teisan Office Building (c1926). The Mitsui Bussan Yokohama Office Building was the first building in Japan to be completely built out of reinforced concrete.Read more
Kobe forcibly demolishes condemned building
The Kobe City Government began the forced demolition of a dilapidated and abandoned building in Futatabisujicho, Chuo-ku in May. This is the second time since 2010 that the city has carried out a forced demolition.
The 2-storey wood-framed building was built sometime in the 1950s ~ 1960s. The exterior walls were cracked and the building was beginning to collapse. Nearby residents were concerned that it could collapse and damage neighbouring homes and petitioned the city in 2010 to take action.
The city tried to contact the owners - one of whom had already died - but the surviving owner ignored all of the city’s correspondence and requests. The city eventually decided to carry out the demolition without the owner’s permission due to the hazard posed by the building. The surviving owner will be billed for 50% of the 1.4 million Yen in demolition costs.
According to recent estimates, there are over 90 buildings in Kobe City that are deemed hazardous.
The Building Standards Act has provisions which allow the forced demolition of privately-owned homes and buildings if they are deemed to pose a danger to the community and the owners ignore requests to take action.
Source: The Sankei Shimbun, May 21, 2014.
Kudan Kaikan (c1934) to be demolished
The government-owned Kudan Kaikan building in Chiyoda-ku may soon be demolished as the Liberal Democratic Party announced a plan to lease the facilities and land to a private developer in return for redeveloping the site.
The property had been used by the Nippon Izokukai (Japan War-Bereaved Families Association) since the 1950s. The other facilities, such as the hotel and restaurants, have been closed since April 2011.Read more
Okinawa’s Naha Tower sold to hotel operator
Naha Tower, a local landmark and relic of the 1970s, has been purchased by a Kyushu-based hotel operator for an undisclosed price. The seller was Tokyo-based Intrance Co., Ltd.
In 2006, developer Zephyr Co., Ltd. acquired the building and renamed it ‘Zephyr Naha Tower’. They filed for bankruptcy in 2008 and the building’s tenants moved out one month later. The building has been empty ever since. Intrance acquired the building in 2011. Read more
Hotel Okura Tokyo to be redeveloped
Yesterday it was announced that the Hotel Okura Tokyo in Toranomon, Minato-ku, will be redeveloped. The new hotel is expected to be completed in time for the 2020 Summer Olympics.
The current 408-room hotel was completed in 1962 - two years before Tokyo hosted the 1964 Summer Olympics. The annex building was completed in 1973. It has been a landmark hotel and has hosted numerous foreign dignitaries and VIPs, the most recent being US President Obama who stayed in the hotel during his visit to Tokyo in April.Read more
Japan Pearl Center at risk of demolition
The owners of the Japan Pearl Center building, a well-known modernist building in Kobe’s old foreign settlement area, recently announced that they are considering demolishing the 62-year old building.
The four-storey building was designed by architect Yoshimitsu Mitsuyasu completed in 1952. It was built by Hyogo Prefecture as a centre for the local pearl industry. It was fitted out with fluorescent lighting, which was very new at the time. The building survived the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake which devastated much of the city. Read more
Historic Shinsaibashi Daimaru store to be demolished
J. Front Retailing recently announced plans to redevelop the 81-year old Daimaru Department Store in Shinsaibashi, Osaka.
The store was designed by US-born architect William Merrell Vories and completed in 1933. Design-wise, the building is considered to be the best department store in Japan. It is a well-known example of ‘Taisho Modern’ architecture which is a mix of art deco and neo-gothic styles. In 2003, it made the DOCOMOMO Japan list of the top 100 modern buildings in the country. Read more