What happens to an old building that doesn't meet current fire codes?
On January 28, NHK published a piece on old ‘non-compliant’ buildings that don’t meet current fire codes. A ‘kison-futeki-kaku’ （既存不適格) or non-compliant building is one that was built to the correct codes at the time of construction, but as codes were updated over the years, would not meet current standards and could not be re-built to the exact same specifications today.
Private home converted into contemporary apartments
A 31-year old private home in Takanawadai is currently undergoing a conversion into a 4-unit apartment building. Leading the project is cooperative house developer Archinet.
Multi-block redevelopment for eastern side of Shibuya Station
On March 24, Tokyo Tatemono announced that a city planning decision had been made for the Shibuya 2 Chome Project. Nicknamed the Shibuya Regeneration Project, it spans three large blocks just east of Shibuya Station, with a total lot size of 2.9 hectares.
Nationwide land values increase for first time in 2 years
On March 22, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) announced the official assessed land values (koji-chika) for 2022. Nationwide, the average land value across all land uses increased by 0.6%, recording the first increase in two years.
Old buildings in Nagoya slow to retrofit
Retrofitting older buildings in Nagoya is taking longer than anticipated. A major change to earthquake building codes was enacted in June 1981, with buildings with construction planning certificates issued before this date referred to as ‘kyu-taishin’, or old earthquake resistance, and those after this date referred to as ‘shin-taishin’, or new earthquake resistance. In many cases, these older buildings need retrofitting to bring them up to current standards, but this is not a simple task.
Tokyo office rents drop for 19th month
The release of large-scale offices for rent and some relocations to recently-completed buildings saw an additional 42,965 sqm of floor space up for rent in February, according to brokerage Miki Shoji.
Tokyo apartment rents hit new high in February
In February, the average rent of an apartment in Tokyo's 23 wards was up 1.1% from last year, according to Tokyo Kantei.