DESIGNWORKS Vol.07

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I think the area of commissioning (performance validation) is a broad one. Commissioning has been misunderstood as the specialty of equipment and other machinery and mechanism companies, and it's been left to them to far too great an extent. But in the case of the natural ventilation that we saw at Flats Toyo, people need to conduct periodic monitoring to determine whether or not the ventilation routes have been opened, and if so what effect that has produced, and if it's different from the design they need to try to determine what should be done. Since it's a building constructed by Takenaka and Takenaka undoubtedly has many monitors, you can get feedback from them and build up a store of knowledge that will be very valuable and provide new possibilities. Unless it's your own building, it would be difficult to conduct certain types of pilot programs dealing with housing management as it relates to security and maintenance. I think what Takenaka is doing makes them more competitive in terms of other companies. In the case of a building overseas, although I'm sure it's the same domestically, what needs to be done is provide value through creative engineering. The contract conditions are more difficult for engineering in some cases, but at the very least consignment work is more efficient than doing things overseas as there are far fewer fixed costs. Even if only three or four people are sent, enormous sales result. That's why in reality large-capacity engineering firms such as Arup*5 conduct operations worldwide. And that's why I think companies should do more to put their ability to create architecture and their engineering capabilities squarely at the forefront.The important question is: who is your audience? In committees in the architectural profession, they express it like this. We try to get the people who will be living in the buildings we design to recognize the comfort of the building as an unprecedented value, in terms of how livable the building is. And more and more, we have to tailor the words we use to explain the objects, creations and environments that we have built to match the recipient of that message. If we can find the words to explain it, I believe the world will stand by us. I think the important thing to realize is that the words that are used to explain what we do will be the watchwords for our time. What Does Sustainability Mean Today?Interviewer: Takenaka's efforts at the International Media Center for the G8 Summit at Lake Toya in Hokkaido were a great opportunity to communicate the value of environmental technologies.Yashiro: Because the summit was held there on the northern island of Hokkaido, we used snow for energy saving and so on. Naturally we would have used a different model if the summit had been held in the desert or in some other environment, but I'm sure the same architectural package could be used. I view the environmental field as a collection of innovations, a world in which you have to break through the shell of existing fixed concepts. For example, there's a technology in which the heat from the sun is used to heat water. Many mirrors are used and the heat is collected, and this heats the water to about 90°C. You can also use an absorption system to provide cooling as well. In Europe, the roof of many homes has solar power generators that occupy half of the roofs, and though they look the same, the other half of the roofs use that solar heat. Autonomous residences that combine the two are apparently being built at a rapid pace. Even if you took that residence and placed it on a savannah in Africa, it could provide cooling without any infrastructure.We may have to change our concept of environmental technologies. It might be best to reset our preconception that a technology is good if it is complex. I think that technologies that are simple and clear are best, in the sense that they will function effectively for long periods of time. In that sense, the natural ventilation ports around the perimeter of the Bungei Shunju building are great. You open them and the breeze comes through, just like that.Interviewer: The word "sustainability" is now widely recognized throughout society. What do you think sustainability means in terms of architecture?Yashiro: I think sustainability is a very important concept. But the thing I think we should be careful about is that architecture is something that is not by definition sustainable. As long as we are creating man-made structures, these will place a load on the environment. Recently the phrase "environmental load" seems to have little impact, and many people prefer the term "footprint." This gives the sense of making a mark with your foot or trampling on something. It's a reality that creating a structure tramples the surface of the earth and the environment. I think the more important problem is that the excessive emphasis on sustainability prevents us from thinking any further. To be more precise, engineers should think not in terms of achieving sustainability but of methods that threaten sustainability as little as possible. We should not be fooled by the illusion of sustainability. And because we don't want to do that, we need to have a scenario. In that sense, I think it's important for engineers to seek to be "less unsustainable." Conversely, from now on I think the most unsustainable building of all will be the one for which even the basic building functions cannot be maintained because of a refusal to use fossil fuels. In a sense, I think architectural sustainability is basically a false concept. But at the same time, I think the idea that because the building can't be made sustainable, anything goes, is also wrong. I think engineers have to think in terms of the natural sciences and objectively determine their engineering goals. We can't eliminate the basics. And that dovetails with Takenaka's corporate principle of "Take the path of truth, show fidelity and be steadfast."Takenaka Corporation's Japanese name is Takenaka Komuten. Komuten is a word that can mean contractor or building firm, but in this case I think it means "engineering company." If Takenaka were an ordinary general contractor, the same as other firms, it would lose that special characteristic. When Takenaka built the Bungei Shunju building 40 years ago, it used the word "creation" and attempted to bring out a certain distinctive quality. That distinctive quality has basically been continued up to today in an unbroken line. But in addition to this quality being expressed through the appearance of Takenaka's achievements in the pages of architectural magazines, Takenaka has created a circle of people within the wider community who understand that its buildings are designed to be more comfortable for human beings and their activities, buildings that are designed to be cherished. Who understand that Takenaka is not simply a company that builds new buildings but one that also does the kind of commissioning work I mentioned a moment ago, as well as logistics management. Logistics management is truly the design of processes, and I think its scope of application will become broader and broader from now on. There are many such ways in which the company can express its distinctiveness, and I think these have yet to be explored.Interviewer: Thank you for speaking with us today.(Interviewers: Yoshiki Mizuno, Shin Yokobori, Takumi Shigeno, Mikito Tanaka)*1 Skeleton infill: A concept in which by making a clear distinction between the parts with long durability, such as the structural frame etc. (skeleton) for building, and the parts that can be comparatively easily changed, such as the interior fittings, M&E system, etc. (infill), the design freedom of the infill part (each residential unit in a housing complex) is increased, and long life can be achieved by making modifications easier.*2 Sustainability: Fulfilling the conditions of use to enable living resources (in particular forestry and fishery resources) to be sustained long term, but a broader meaning refers to the appropriate management of natural resources consumption and environmental pollution, so that the level of economic activities and welfare can be sustained long term.*3 Logistics: Originally meant the supply of weapons and food, etc., to the military, but this concept has been applied to the distribution of goods to mean the overall system of the flow of the procurement of raw materials, production, storage, sales, information, etc., and not just aiming for the efficiency of the distribution department.(Source: Kihon Rojisutikusu Yogo Jiten [Dictionary of Basic Logistics Terminology] Second Edition, Hakuto-Shobo Publishing Company)*4 Traceability: The condition in which the path of an article can be traced from the production stage through to the final consumption stage or the disposal stage.*5 Arup Associates: A general engineering consulting firm, with headquarters in London and more than 85 offices in 37 countries, employing about 9,000 staff. They have undertaken the structural design for many construction projects, including the Centre Pompidou, the Kansai International Airport Terminal Building, the Beijing National Stadium, etc.Tomonari Yashiro / Doctor of Engineering1957Born in Tokyo1985Completed Doctor's course, Department of Architecture, Graduate School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo1985-Building Research Institute1991-Associate Professor, Department of Architecture, Musashi Institute of Technology 1998-Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Tokyo1999-Associate Professor, Institute of Industrial Science, the University of Tokyo CurrentlyDeputy Director and Professor, Institute of Industrial Science, the University of TokyoInterview