determined. One is the seismic reinforcement not interfering with
the existing space of brick masonry and timber truss as much as
possible and another is the spatial design where we deal with the
traces of the conversions pragmatically, as representation of the
past events.
The seismic reinforcement was done by steel structure, in order to
clearly distinguish with the existing architecture and we aimed to
have the same seismic performance as a contemporary architecture.
The insufficient yield strength of the short side was reinforced with
the horizontal elements such as the floor of the upper storey and
roof, where it becomes completely unseen when completed. The
vertical elements such as columns becomes the minimum size
by mutually depending on the existing brick wall and appears as a
contrast to the brick space. Scrap and build is the dominant culture
in Japanese architecture and even if we were able to preserve old
buildings, the existing structure is usually only used as a façade.
It was innovative for us in Japan that we were able to structurally
evaluate and utilize the existing architecture.
The existing architecture was built in the eclectic period of the new
Western tectonics and the traditional Japanese tectonics, resulting
in the mixed use of Japanese and Western order (dimension system).
For instance, the beams are built in the Japanese traditional module
“Shaku” whereas the columns are built in the Western module “inch”,
and other elements are built in different modules, thus a gap occurs
between them. The seismic reinforcement is carefully inserted in
these gaps of different orders, so it is possible to detach them in the
future.
The traces of the conversions are the results of the gap between the
change of the function and the space. We thought of them not as
defects but as the representation of the accumulated events of the
past. This doesn’t mean to leave the past renovations as it is. We
removed the unnecessary and repaired the broken parts, but didn’t
try to imitate or restore them to the original. This skillful handling
was the most important point in the spatial design of the renovation.
Sometimes it might become grotesque but we kept in mind more of
the pragmatic firmness of them.
We would be glad if people could think of this architecture as a
prototype for preservation and renovation projects where there is few
documents and little construction budget. It is not about reversing
the flow of time, but reconstructing its history by connecting the
historical fragments left through filling the gaps with imagination
and connect them to the future. This is an archaeological way of
thinking in architecture and here stands the meaning of architects
to participate in renovation projects of old architecture. When you
actually visit the warehouse, it would seem that the architect didn’t
do anything. However, that is the most fortunate thing for this
architecture.
www.refurbandrestore.co.uk - 23