Considerations based on wall thickness

One thing that made a strong impression on me during my visit to London was the thickness of the walls. Buildings that are hundreds of years old still form a major part of London's urban landscape. Newer buildings also utilize a layering of architectural styles and designs from each era. I believe that one of the elements that contributes to this historical depth is the thickness of the walls. Mitsubishi Ichigokan is made of brick, so naturally, the first-floor walls are approximately 700mm thick. As Architectural Design, we sometimes paint over the walls with black pencil to confirm the form and interior space of a building. This allows us to better understand the structural mechanisms of thick-walled masonry buildings, the form of the interior and exterior of the building, and their relationship to the exterior. When comparing architecture made from natural materials such as earth, wood, and stone with architecture made from industrial products such as concrete, steel, glass, and light metals, the more modern the architecture, the fewer spaces that need to be painted over, and the difference between modern and older architecture becomes apparent.

Now, as for contemporary architecture, there is not much difference between the functions and designs of buildings in central London and central Tokyo, but with the globalization of the economy and innovation in information technology, architecture is also rapidly globalizing. In fact, major cities around the world are filled with buildings of similar structure, materials, and design. These look sophisticated at first glance, similar to fashionable clothing designs, but if we think of architecture as a culture, we can see a big problem. Originally, architecture was nurtured in relation to the climate, environment, and culture of the land, and ideally it should be created in accordance with that context. However, trends that ignore regional characteristics are robbing us of our good culture. Maybe we should stop trying to follow Western architecture for no reason.

Japan's traditional wooden architecture, made up of shinkabe (solid walls) and shoji (paper screens), is an environmentally symbiotic architecture nurtured by Japan's climate, customs, and culture. When considering global environmental issues, it is precisely this wisdom of Japanese architecture that needs to be revisited. Just as people around the world find the historic streets of London to be magnificent, there is a desire to create towns that give a sense of Japan and Tokyo to people around the world. Just as Mitsubishi Ichigokan once ushered in an era by pioneering Japan's first office district, we hope to refresh memories of modern architecture through its restoration, while also working to create architecture that will pave the way for an era of environmentally friendly architecture that is uniquely Japanese.