Manufacturing is proof of life

So, how should we, the construction industry, think about this problem? If we just say, "Only a small minority of people do bad things like this, and we are doing it honestly. We have nothing to do with them," and leave it at that, this kind of thing will never go away. Currently, the Japan Institute of Architects, the Japan Federation of Architects and Building Engineers Associations, and the Japan Federation of Architectural Offices Associations are working to prevent recurrences and restore trust in the construction industry, triggered by the earthquake resistance falsification issue, and each is talking about qualification systems, clarification of responsibilities, and membership in organizations. All of these are professional organizations for people who design and build buildings, but it seems impossible for the general public and our clients to understand why there are three organizations and why each has different opinions. I would like to ask for a unified solution that goes beyond each individual's interests and is easy for the public to understand.

The construction industry has many problems that we cannot solve on our own, such as ordering systems and production systems. Considering that architecture is built by a multi-industry conglomerate and that the completed architecture belongs to the people who will use it, clients, designers, and builders need to work together to find solutions. We would like to seek dialogue with society at large, without being limited by the framework of the construction professional association.

At the same time, there are also things we ourselves must make efforts to address. The recent series of incidents have occurred in a part of the architectural construction process that is a black box to the general public. We can do a better job thanks to our clients' trust. Trust is not something that can be gained overnight, but must be built up over a long period of time. To gain the trust of society, we will need to eliminate the black box from our work process and fully disclose the architectural construction process to our clients.

Another important thing is professional ethics. This cannot be left to others. We must always think and act while comparing our professional ethics with the ethics of society. I admired architects who represent the era, such as American architect F. L. Wright, who designed the former Imperial Hotel, Nordic architect Alvar Aalto, and architect Kunio Maekawa, who is celebrating his 100th birthday, and I jumped into this world with the dream of building a building that I designed. I think there was simply a pure heart for architecture. I would like to believe that the designers and builders involved in the earthquake resistance falsification did not think of doing such a shady thing in their younger days when they aspired to be architects and manufacturers.

There is something common to the Livedoor issue and not just to architecture: anyone can be consumed by limitless desires and end up like a hungry ghost wandering a dark world where no light can reach. However, we in the architecture industry need to go back to our roots and remember the "spirit of craftsmanship" that cannot be replaced by money. The "architecture" and "things" we create are proof of our own lives, and our greatest joy is to gain society's trust through them. I am convinced that by returning to our roots in this way and continuing to do work that is easy for society to understand, in good faith and beyond self-interest, the day will come when our profession will be properly evaluated.