INSIGHTS

2019.12.11

R&D DISCUSSION Vol. 23

Looking at the future design process through "Renovation" [Part 1]

Masataka Baba Architect

R&D DISCUSSION TOP

Q: You are active in a variety of fields, but what is one thing that you all keep in common?

A: The "A" in our company name "Open A" stands for Architecture, and our goal is to "expand and redefine the field of Architectural Design." People often say that my designs are "editorial." I feel that the idea of re-editing what already exists and applying it to the situation is more fitting for me than a method of projecting my own ideas and style.

That's because I myself worked as an editor from my late 20s to early 30s. I had been working hard on design during my student days, and after graduating, I joined Hakuhodo in search of a stable salary. Working in advertising was a great experience for me because it made me realize that there is a society completely different from architecture. During my time at Hakuhodo, I was envious of people who owned media. There was an unspoken rule that advertising agencies could not own their own media. This was because they would compete with clients, but I still had a strong desire to own a media outlet, so I took a leave of absence and returned to university, where I decided to start a magazine while writing my doctoral thesis. The magazine I was making at that time was "A" (vol. 1-13, Bungeisha, 1998-2002) [Photo 1].

"A" stands for Architecture, Art, Anonymous, Anything, and the beginning of things. The name was chosen because I wanted to create a media that connects architecture, cities, and subculture. What I realized at this time was that "media is a magic carpet." I went to meet many people during the production process, and even if they were big names, I was able to talk to them more than I expected if I said, "I'm making a book, please let me interview you." I was also able to interview a master of the anime film world, who I would never normally be able to meet, and have him talk passionately about urban theory in Tokyo.

From that experience, I realized that media can be an engine that moves things. For example, no matter how hard you work on a proposal, in some cases it may be thrown away without even being read, but if you make it into a book, the probability of it being thrown away is greatly reduced. That's why, when there is something I want to do, I try to make a book first. If the situation is vague, I make a book as one way to make it concrete. The method that Rem Koolhaas takes is also a hint. I read in magazines that he makes a book of the proposal itself and presents it to the client, and I was influenced by him in real time. Rem Koolhaas was originally a newspaper reporter and an architect with a background in media. I feel that I learned the fact that media is an engine that moves projects through the process of creating "A".

[Photo 1] After retiring from Hakuhodo, he served as editor-in-chief of the magazine “A” (vol. 1-13, Bungeishunju, 1998-2002), during the same period he was a doctoral student at Waseda University.

Q: What prompted you to start designing architecture again?

A: After working as an editor, in my mid-30s, I started to want to do Architectural Design again. But I didn't know where to start. When I was in that situation, I would write a book first, and that was "R the transformers/Recycling the city" (co-authored, R-book Production Committee, 2002). It was a time when the "2003 problem" was a hot topic, with concerns about the increase in vacant buildings in the city. At that time, the word "Renovation was not yet common, and a few years ago, I read the first feature in the Kashima Publishing magazine "SD" titled "Tokyo Renovation" (October 1999 issue), and thought that I might be able to do something about it, and that was the start of my Renovation design.

First, I got on a magic carpet and went to the US to inspect the area. For example, in Los Angeles, Chinatown was turned into an art street, a ruined used bookstore was renovated into a fashionable cafe, a closed department store was used as a workshop gallery for children, and conversions (changes in use) that are now common in Japan were actively taking place. Moreover, everywhere was crowded with a lot of people. In Chicago, a converted apartment was being traded at a higher price than a new one. I strongly felt that the way the market was perceived was completely different from Japan, and I realized that the background and story of the building attract people. In other words, the story of the building can be reduced to design. I couldn't put it into words well at the time, but I felt that this was the beauty of the next era, and I felt the future.

When you see that, it's only natural that you want to do it yourself. The first Renovation project was my own office. I found a cheap vacant property where the first floor was a parking lot and the second floor was a food warehouse, and converted it into a workplace. I'm not sure if this "untitled" (2003) [Photo 2] can be called a work of art, but it led to a huge increase in work. I realized that even if it's small, one prototype can get things moving after that.

During the process of searching for vacant properties, I came up with the idea of "Tokyo R Real Estate" [Photo 3]. It is a media that introduces vacant properties in a fun way with photos and text. It was my personal blog that described vacant properties that ordinary real estate agents do not handle, and you wonder who would rent them. It gradually grew, and I started to do real estate brokerage, and here I am today. By simply changing the way you describe an old property, such as describing it as having a "retro feel" or adding "how about using it like this?", you can greatly increase the value of the property. We operate with the aim of finding the hidden value in the city, but this is also "editing". This website became an engine for creating a market for Renovation, and Open A started to receive work little by little.

[Photo 2] His first Renovation project was "untitled," which was also his own office (Nihonbashi-Honcho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 2003).
[Photo 3] Vacant property introduction and intermediation media "Tokyo R Real Estate" https://www.realtokyoestate.co.jp

Q: Tell us about some of your early projects.

A: We built "THE NATURAL SHOE STORE KACHIDOKI" (2007) [Photo 4] in Kachidoki, Chuo Ward, for a shoe manufacturing and importing company. This was a huge warehouse along a canal that we came across by chance while searching for vacant properties, which is a daily routine. The design operation was simply to lay flooring and place glass boxes. I think this was the first Renovation property to be featured in "Shinkenchiku". There is an interesting story behind this property. This office was submitted for an office space award, but the judges came to inspect it and said, "This cannot be recognized as an office," so it was removed from the Renovation. Shortly after that, a famous German shoe manufacturer came to inspect the renovated office in search of a general agent in Japan. When we explained to them, "We think that comfortable sandals like yours should be sold in a comfortable space like this," they immediately said, "That's true," and decided to become the agent on the spot. This was a moment when values were reversed. This property is like the starting point for my thoughts about "work spaces."

We also converted a printing factory owned by the Sankei Shimbun into a complex with offices, studios, cafes, and commercial facilities for creators. This building was named "TABLOID" (2010) [Photo 5] because tabloid newspapers were originally printed in the building. The concept of this project was "Building as Media," and we were strongly aware of the importance of telling the story of the building that we experienced in Los Angeles. In the final presentation to the executives, we said, "As a newspaper company, you may be thinking of this project as a side job. This will be reborn as a place where various people can meet. The amount of information exchanged when people meet is overwhelming. In other words, this building will become a new media. It's not a side job, it's our main job." The rhetoric of a place that originally produced media becoming a place that produces new media inevitably moved the executives' hearts. We believe that a presentation that properly inherits the history of the building is very important in Renovation.

[Photo 4] "THE NATURAL SHOE STORE KACHIDOKI" (Kachidoki, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 2007). A glass cube is placed inside a huge warehouse, and only the inside is air-conditioned. Around it is a space that resembles a garden or a huge living room.
Before Renovation
After Renovation
[Photo 5] Making use of the large, four-story atrium space where rotary presses once operated with a roar,
"TABLOID" (Kaigan, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 2010), which was converted into a complex.

[Photos 1, 2, 4, 5: Provided by Open A]

Continued in Part 2

PROFILE

architect

CEO of Open A Co., Ltd., Director of R Tokyo Real Estate, Professor at Tohoku University of Art and Design

Masataka Baba

Baba Masataka

Born in Saga in 1968. Graduated from the Master's program in Architecture at Waseda University Graduate School (Ishiyama Osamu Laboratory) in 1994. After working at Hakuhodo, a doctoral program at Waseda University, and as editor-in-chief of the magazine "A," he founded Open A in 2003. He runs Tokyo R Real Estate, a website that discovers vacant spaces in the city. He also serves as director of CET (Central East Tokyo), an event that turns vacant buildings in Nihonbashi and Kanda on Tokyo's east side into temporary galleries, and is active across media and real estate while keeping Architectural Design at the core.

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Update : 2018.09.21

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