Hope fades for historic Yokohama warehouse as demolition begins
Despite the best efforts of architects and historians from across the country, the owner of the Former Mitsui Bussan Yokohama Warehouse in downtown Yokohama is pushing ahead with demolition.
On November 5, a notice was posted outside the 104-year old building indicating the start of demolition. The building will be completely razed by mid-February 2015. The owner, Tokyo-based real estate and expat leasing company Ken Corporation, has ignored pleas from various preservation groups.
The Former Mitsui Bussan Yokohama Warehouse was designed by Oto Endo and built in 1910. Endo was a pioneer in designing reinforced-concrete buildings and this was one of the earliest structures in Japan to incorporate RC in the construction. He also designed the adjoining Mitsui Bussan Yokohama Office Building in 1911, which was the first building in the country to be built entirely out of reinforced concrete. The two buildings formed an important part of Yokohama’s silk trade, and the warehouse was used for the storage of silk.
High-rise office and apartments for Takeshiba
On October 29, Tokyo Land and Kajima Corporation announced plans for high-rise office and residential buildings in the waterfront Takeshiba area in Minato-ku. The project will also provide facilities for trade and content promotion and international expansion. JR Hamamatsucho and Takeshiba Station will be connected via a 500 meter long pedestrian bridge.
The project is expected to be completed in 2019.Read more
Shirokanedai Institute of Public Health (c1938) to be restored
The historic Institute of Public Health building in Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo is going to be restored and converted into a centre for palliative care for cancer patients, a children’s club and short-term child care facility.
The Institute was built in 1938 as a medical training and research centre. The 76-year old building has a total floor space of 15,000 sqm with two basement floors, five floors above ground and a 3-storey tower. It was designed by architect and engineer Yoshikazu Uchida. Uchida designed a number of buildings for the University of Tokyo and also worked on the design of the Dojunkai Apartment buildings across Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture. His style became known as ‘Uchida Gothic’.Read more
Mori Trust announces plans for high-rise office and hotel in Toranomon
On October 23, Mori Trust announced plans for a 180m mixed-use building for the former Toranomon Pastoral building site in Toranomon 4 Chome.
The 36-storey building will contain a hotel, serviced apartments, office and retail space. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2015 with completion by 2018. The new building will be approximately 500 meters from the proposed new station along the Hibiya Line.Read more
Major redevelopment planned for Yaesu district
In 2015, Mitsui Fudosan and Tokyo Tatemono will begin several large-scale redevelopment projects for the Yaesu district to the east of Tokyo Station. The project will include three buildings containing apartments, offices, retail space, education and cultural facilities.
Planning approval is expected to be announced next year. It is anticipated that the project will qualify for an allowance to the floor space index, which would a total floor area up to 1 million sqm (10.7 million sqft).
One of the features will be an underground bus terminal. While the Marunouchi district to the west of Tokyo Station has seen some very large redevelopment projects over the past few years, the Yaesu area has been lagging behind. The bus terminal currently located at the Yaesu Exit at Tokyo Station is relatively inconvenient, especially for passengers transferring to trains. By locating the terminal underground, it will offer direct access to the underground station area.Read more
Signs of life for vacant site between Daikanyama and Nakameguro
The large and vacant plot of land located between Daikanyama and Nakameguro may finally see some activity as the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Meguro Ward have announced that they are seeking tenders from developers for the 8,500 sqm site.
The land was previously the site of lodgings for the Japanese National Railway Settlement Corporation (JNRSC). The property was acquired by the Tokyo Government and Meguro Ward in 1995 for approximately 6.4 billion Yen. Initial plans were for an aged-care facility and public housing.Read more