Japan’s largest hotel to be built in Yokohama
APA Group will be developing a 37-storey hotel on a waterfront site in downtown Yokohama. With 2,400 guest rooms and a total floor area of 58,000 sqm, this hotel will have the highest room count in a single building in Japan.Read more
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.
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
No progress made in faulty building in Yokohama
It has been a month since news came out about a 11-year old apartment building in Yokohama that was starting to tilt due to a construction mistake.
The building’s owners association have been fighting with developer, Sumitomo Realty & Development, for several years over the issue. Last month it was announced that Sumitomo had asked the residents to move out and are in the process of arranging temporary accommodation.
Built in 2003, Park Square Mitsuzawa Koen is a five-building complex containing 262 apartments. Three years after completion, residents noticed that the guardrails in the hallway connecting one building to the other were out of alignment and cracks had formed where the rails were joined together. Sumitomo insisted that this was just a result of absorbing shocks caused by earthquakes. The owners association only found out that one of the buildings was leaning after carrying out an investigation during large-scale maintenance and repair work in 2013. Sumitomo again insisted that the building was safe and that there was no problem. They also said that any repair costs should be borne by the apartment owners. Read more
Residents asked to move out of Yokohama apartment building after construction fault discovered
Sumitomo Realty & Development are asking residents of an 11-year old condominium apartment building in Yokohama City to move out after it was recently discovered that the building is starting to lean as the foundation piles might not have been sunk deep enough to reach bedrock. Sumitomo said they cannot guarantee the safety of the building and are considering either reinforcing or demolishing and rebuilding the apartment block.Read more
Japanese homeowner in US Navy housing suing Japanese Government
Living in a gated estate with high security might be considered desirable to some, but to one Japanese family in Yokohama it has been a nightmare.
A Japanese couple who own a house and land located within the US Navy's Negishi Heights Housing Complex in Yokohama are suing the Japanese government for 115 million Yen damages after suffering a lifetime of inconvenience and hardship caused by the various hassles that come with living in an armed forces compound. Oral proceedings are scheduled for February 28 in the Yokohama District Court. Read more
Any buyers? Minato Mirai's deficit difficulties lead to last minute sales tactics
Commission for anyone who can sell the remaining land in Minato Mirai.
Minato Mirai 21 (MM) is a 186 hectare waterfront business district in Yokohama, and is home to the Yokohama Landmark Tower. The land reclamation (40% of the area) and urban renewal project began in 1983, but there are still some large parcels of undeveloped land that the city is desperately trying to sell.Read more