Send message to Author

Paper short abstract

This report examines the relationship between the concept of renovation and the urban landscape of 1990s Tokyo, focusing on the special feature “Tokyo Renovation” in magazine SD(October 1999 issue) and the 2001 publication of the book, Tokyo Renovation: 93 Stories of Building Conversion.

Paper long abstract

Generally speaking, renovation refers to the restoration, regeneration, or renewal of existing older buildings. Architect Taro Igarashi reflects in Renovation Studies (2003) that renovation techniques began to be adopted in Japan's architectural world only after the 1990s. Furthermore, according to Manjo Shimahara, Director of the Next HOME'S Research Institute, the seeds of renovation could be observed in Tokyo's street scene —specifically around the Ura-Harajuku area— from the mid to late 1990s. The concept of “renovation” gained wider recognition when the architecture magazine SD (October 1999 issue) featured a special section titled “Tokyo Renovation.” From the above, it is clear that the architectural technique and concept of renovation gained active acceptance among the Japanese public from the 1990s onward. On the other hand, why did this architectural technique and concept come into the spotlight in Tokyo specifically from the 1990s? An interesting point to note is the emergence of urban discourse centered on Tokyo in Japan from the 1980s onward, which began to discuss the cityscape. Moreover, it is impossible to overlook the fact that the leading proponents of such urban theories are also engaged in discussions about renovation. This report examines the relationship between the concept of renovation and the urban landscape of 1990s Tokyo, focusing primarily on the special feature “Tokyo Renovation” in the aforementioned architecture magazine SD and the 2001 publication of the book of the same name, Tokyo Renovation: 93 Stories of Building Conversion.