Redevelopment difficulties for 'non-compliant' apartments
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) estimates that there are 5.9 million condominium apartments across Japan. One in four people in Tokyo live in a condominium, while approximately 20% of residents in Osaka and Kyoto live in one. Of these apartments, 1.06 million are in buildings that were built to the older earthquake codes (kyu-taishin). The current codes (shin-taishin) were introduced in 1981. Over the next 10 years, the number of apartments over 40 years old is expected to quadruple, creating an overwhelming number of ageing and deteriorating buildings. Yet, there have only been 180 cases of reconstruction to date.
One residential building currently facing an uncertain future is Toa Parkside Castle in Tokyo's Ota-ku. Located in a commercial district just two minutes from Omori Station, the 14 storey kyu-taishin building was completed in 1971, making it 42 years old. There are 94 apartments and a total floor area of 6,360 sqm.Read more
Brillia Tama New Town sold out
All 684 apartments available for sale in Brillia Tama New Town have now sold out. Brillia Tama New Town is a large-scale redevelopment of the Suwa 2 Chome Jutaku housing complex in Tama City, Tokyo. The original buildings were completed in 1971 and contained 640 apartments. The demolition and reconstruction project is said to be the largest of its kind in Japan.
The new condominiums have a total of 1249 apartments, of which 565 were taken up by original residents (the remaining residents sold their ownership rights to the developer and moved elsewhere).Read more
Redevelopment planned for Shibuya city office
Moves are underway to rebuild the Shibuya City Office buildings after it was discovered that they would be at risk of falling over in an earthquake that produced a shindo level of upper-6 (read about the Japanese seismic intensity scale here).
At a press conference held on February 12, Shibuya ward mayor, Toshitake Kuwahara, announced that they hope to decide on a budget for the project during the 2014 financial year. The buildings are currently below the maximum allowable building size for the site, so the local council hopes that the availability of additional space will help to reduce their own redevelopment costs.Read more
A look at the demolition of the Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka
The demolition of the 140m tall Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka is underway with the building now standing at three-quarters of its original height.
The work is being carried out by a joint venture between Taisei Corporation and Seibu Construction using the 'Taisei Ecological Reproduction System' (Teco-Rep System). Assistant Director of Taisei's Construction Engineering Development Department, Mr. Hideki Ichihara, explains the process:Read more
Nakagin Capsule Tower Demolition Plans
The management association of the 40 year old Nakagin Capsule Tower in Ginza are moving forward with plans to demolish and rebuild the metabolist structure.
Although no final date has been set, demolition and reconstruction plans have been in the pipeline since 2007. Back in 2005, the architect, Kisho Kurokawa, and Taisei Corporation put forward a plan to replace the aging capsules with new ones. This was in line with Kurokawa's initial concept for the building, whereby all capsules were designed to be interchangeable and replaceable. However, it seems more likely that it will be replaced with a nondescript building.Read more
Same-day sellout in Brillia Tama New Town
All 252 apartments available in the first round of sales for Brillia Tama New Town have sold out on the same day.
Brillia Tama New Town is the redevelopment of the Suwa 2 Chome Jutaku housing complex and is the biggest project of its kind in Japan. Developed by Tokyo Tatemono, the new complex will have 1249 units, of which 565 will go to owners of the demolished apartments.Read more