Considerations based on wall thickness

What made a strong impression on me during my visit to London was the thickness of the walls. In London, buildings that are hundreds of years old are still used today as the main urban landscape. New buildings are also utilized within the layers of architectural styles and designs from each era. I think one of the elements that brings about such historical depth is the thickness of the walls. Mitsubishi Ichigokan is made of bricks, so it's only natural that the walls on the first floor are about 700 mm thick. As Architectural Design designers, we sometimes try to paint the walls black with a pencil to check the form and interior space of a building. By doing so, we can better understand the structural mechanism of a thick-walled masonry building, the form of the interior and exterior of the building, and the relationship with the outside. If we compare architecture that was made of natural materials such as earth, wood, and stone with architecture made of industrial products such as concrete, steel, glass, and light metals, the closer we get to modern times, the less space there is to paint black, and we can really feel the difference between modern architecture and previous architecture.

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 solid wood walls and shoji screens, is an environmentally friendly type of architecture nurtured by Japan's climate, customs, and culture. When considering global environmental issues, it is necessary for us to return to the wisdom of Japanese architecture. Just as the streets of London, which have accumulated history, are wonderful, we hope to create towns that allow people around the world to feel a sense of Japan and Tokyo. Just as Mitsubishi Ichigokan once ushered in an era by pioneering Japan's first office district, we would like to renew the memory of modern architecture through its restoration, and work on architecture that will pave the way for an era of environmentally friendly architecture unique to Japan.