Asking the way at the police box in Sendai Station, it was a 15 minutes walk westward Teizenji Street and here you were.



Looking from the side, the glass looks smooth reflecting the sunlight.



　(The Enlarged Screen)

　Standing at the face of the building, you can look through inside and enjoy transparency.

　(The Enlarged Screen)



This piece of architecture was chosen at the architectural competition. When I first had seen the architectural image presented, I remember how I was astonished.It was presented that the 6 floors (50mx50m) were held just by the floating seaweed like columns! Seaweeds were to be made of thin steel pipes woven into mesh(named the tube) I had waited for long to see how this idea could be realized when proceeded. Five years had passed since then.


　Sorry to say there were not exactly “floating” columns. Nevertheless, the columns holding six layers of floors were so thin! It was already deeply impressive to recognize how thin these steel pipes were.Can they really hold on? Yes, they can, of course. Furthermore, what was more amazing was that there were staircases, elevator shafts,equipment ducts and piping space placed inside these meshed columns. Here,the fundamental function of the columns that are there just to support and hold the building seems to have disappeared. Instead there was an invention of the tube,where the columns in mesh are in combination with the service shaft placed at the same place. The result of pursuing the floating like seaweed columns for real has brought out a new convenience. I can,t help to declare that there are great possibilities that this idea could be applied and generalized. Up until today and generally speaking,the architecture designed by the architects has been giving the impression that they are far from what is common and are not useful for the majority. However, now, I feel the time has come now when this new idea which looks “different” is leading to a useful invention good for all. Our time is truly looking for real new ideas! These ideas presented thought out by the architects are likely to evoke and create a new demand in the market and contribute to activate economy in general.


Let us stop around here continuing to the interior details.


　Entrance (The Enlarged Screen)

　Photo taken from the road(green road)