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 stated goal is to "expand and redefine the field of Architectural Design." I'm often told that my designs are "editorial." Rather than a method that overtly pushes my own ideas and style, I feel that the idea of re-editing what already exists and applying it to the situation suits me better.

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 decided I wanted to get back into Architectural Design. But I didn't know where to start. When I'd feel that way, I'd always start by writing a book, and that was "R the transformers/Recycling the city" (co-authored, R-book Production Committee, 2002). This was around the time when the "2003 problem" was becoming a hot topic, with concerns about the increasing number of vacant buildings in urban areas. The term "Renovation" wasn't even common back then, and a few years ago I read the first feature in Kajima Institute Publishing's magazine, "SD," titled "Tokyo Renovation" (October 1999 issue). I thought maybe I could do something about it, and that was the start of my Renovation design career.

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 something like that, naturally you want to do it yourself. The first Renovation project I undertook was my own office. I found a cheap, vacant property where the first floor was used as a parking lot and the second floor as 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. It made me realize that even if it's small, one prototype can get things moving.

It was during this process of searching for vacant properties that I came up with the idea for "Tokyo R Real Estate" [Photo 3]. It's a fun platform to introduce vacant properties through photos and text. It started as my personal blog, featuring vacant properties that ordinary real estate agents wouldn't handle, and that you wondered who would rent. It gradually grew, and I started acting as a real estate agent, and here I am today. By simply describing an old property with a "retro feel" or adding a suggestion for how it could be used, the value of the property can be dramatically increased. The website aims to uncover hidden value in the city, which is also "editing." This website became the engine for creating a market for Renovation, and gradually brought work to Open A.

[Photo 2] "Untitled" (Nihonbashi-Honcho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 2003), his first Renovation project and also his own office.
[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: In 2007, we built "THE NATURAL SHOE STORE KACHIDOKI" (Photo 4), an office for a shoe manufacturer and importer in Kachidoki, Chuo Ward. This was a huge warehouse along a canal that we came across by chance during our daily routine of searching for vacant properties. The design involved simply laying down flooring and placing glass boxes. I believe this was the first Renovation property to be featured in Shinkenchiku. There's an interesting story behind this property. This office was submitted for an office space award, but the judges came to inspect it, saying, "This doesn't qualify as an office," and it was removed from the Renovation. Shortly after, a famous German shoe manufacturer came to inspect our renovated office in search of an exclusive distributor in Japan. We explained to them, "We believe that comfortable sandals like yours should be sold in a comfortable space like this." Apparently, they agreed, and immediately decided to become our distributor. It was a moment of reversal of values. This property is like the starting point for my thoughts on "work spaces."

We also converted a printing factory owned by the Sankei Shimbun into a complex housing a mix of offices for creative professionals, studios, a cafe, and commercial spaces. The building was originally used to print tabloid newspapers, hence the name "TABLOID" (2010) [Photo 5]. The concept of this project was "Building as Media," and I was strongly conscious of the importance of telling a building's story, something I experienced in Los Angeles. In my final presentation to the executives, I said, "As a newspaper company, you probably see this project as a side project. This building will be transformed into 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 outlet. It's not a side project, it's our main business." The rhetoric of transforming a space that originally produced media into a place that produces new media inevitably resonated with the executives. I believe that a presentation that properly preserves the building's history is extremely 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 where rotary presses once roared in operation,
"TABLOID" (Kaigan, Minato City, Tokyo, 2010), converted into a complex facility.

[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, he completed his Master's course in Architecture at Waseda University Graduate School (Ishiyama Osamu Laboratory) in 1994. After working at Hakuhodo, completing his doctoral studies at Waseda University, and serving 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 urban spaces. 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 while his core focus is Architectural Design, he works across media and real estate.

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R&D TOP

Update: 2019.12.11

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