Mitsubishi Ichigokan– Legacy City

Utilization, preservation and revitalization of existing stock

#SmartCity

#Marunouchi

#Seismic isolation

#Inheritance Inheritance Design

#design

#Construction Construction Supervision

#office

Mitsubishi Jisho Design Smart City TOP

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Mitsubishi Ichigokan

Data

Property Name	Mitsubishi Ichigokan
Year of completion	Restoration 2009
location	2-6-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Uses	Museum
Site area	11,931 m²
Total floor area	6,469 m²
Floor number	3 floors above ground/1 floor below ground
structure	Earthquake-resistant structure, brick masonry, wooden hut construction

Project Overview

Mitsubishi Ichigokan was designed by Josiah Conder as the first modern office building in Marunouchi in 1894. It is not just a stylized building, but a prototype of the office that shaped the red brick streetscape in Marunouchi that was called "Ichi-cho London." It is an office building of urban importance that could be said to be the "standard" for the formation of city blocks during the Meiji era city reform. Mitsubishi Ichigokan, which stood in this location for 74 years, was demolished in 1968 during the period of high economic growth due to deterioration.

Later, as part of the third development of Marunouchi, two restoration review committees were commissioned by Mitsubishi Estate to participate in the government and academic fields, and they prepared reports that focused on the "purpose and significance of restoration" from the perspective of urban development, and on the architecture itself. Based on these reports, in 2009 the building was restored using the original blueprints, measured drawings, preserved materials, etc., as well as the latest technology such as seismic isolation structures.

Mitsubishi Ichigokan, which has become a museum, has been designated as a special urban regeneration district, and together with the state-of-the-art office buildings on the same site, it is evaluated as an element that constitutes the smart city of Marunouchi, along with the courtyard plaza, due to its position as a cultural facility, reducing the environmental impact through CO2 reduction and greening. In addition, the original Mitsubishi Ichigokan was the starting point of the "Meiji era smart city" in that it was the trigger for the creation of a future-oriented, safe and secure city in which new technologies of the time were introduced one after another, starting with brick masonry construction and then steel-reinforced concrete construction, until the No. 21 building (completed in 1914), which was designed by the end of the Meiji period.

Architecture reflects the society and people's activities of the time, and its preservation, restoration, and new use are examples of urban development that deepen the historical value of a place.