Ransition of Fumitsubaki Building
The Main building of this building is an unusual wooden Western-style built in 1920.
It is characterized by a high ceiling construction as the shrines and the temples about 5 m.
It is the result of the fusion of "the tide of civilization opening" and "the land pattern of Kyoto".
Originally it was built as a trading company, then went to hands of textile wholesalers,
and it was used as a cultural facility in the United States shortly after the war.
Later, on October 16, 2004,
the property that was used as an interior company and a kimono trading company was reproduced as a commercial facility by the hands of Kuwa Koji Architects Office, “Fumitsubaki-Building".
It is made of five buildings that have increased in size along the era.
I looked at the situation where the old building in the neighborhood was destroyed due to the fiber depression and thought about leaving it in the best way.
The answer was to leave the old building in a way to establish as a business, not passive preservation.
The real intention of Fumitsubaki Building Project
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Renovation and conversion of "historic building" and “town”.
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In recent years, the site of the company that went bankrupt in economic recession was changed to a convenience store or parking.
The city of Kyoto was traditional and stylish.
But it is now homogenized with a shallow town of history.
Of course, the building has a lifetime,
Business has a season as well,The system is evolving.
When any of those elements is missing,we may have to break it and start over from the beginning.
However, given the future direction of cities including various system problems,
the importance of rebuilding to make good use of its merits is clear without breaking historic buildings.
Naturally, Kyoto was filled with curiosity that anticipated the times with its history.
For this reason,Creating a new city considering environmental problems,
rather than scrap-and-build to discharge large quantities of industrial waste,
So-called Conversion from flow to stock, It's not a temporary renovation and conversion boom.
It can be said that it is at the core of big wave.
Regarding the location
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Ryogae-machi
- This name stems from that there was a financial district
between Nijyo dori in North and Sanjo dori in the south.
The town prospered as “Kyoto Ginza”Following the "Kanaza" that was from the Keicho era.
The townspeople who gained wealth and worked hard here supported the artists such as craftsman and painter Korin Ogata and potter Kanzan Ogata.
This town has developed as a city that supported art and prospered it.
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Sanjo-dori
- The Sanjo Ohashi brought up as a place of exchange for many people, property and culture.
It is the final point of Tokaido that connects Edo to Kyoto.
Sanjo dori continues from the Sanjo Bridge to the center of Kyoto.
The towns lively is reminds us image of former days.
It is the famous street of Kyoto that you can see the architecture style and commercial history of the Taisho era, Showa era, Heisei era,including shops that started in the Edo period.
In recent years, It is a stable spot as a course of shopping and sightseeing that connects the east’s "1928-building" in "Gokomachi" and the west’s "Shinpukan" former building of NTT.
Sanjo Ryogae-machi was a base for commercial and art, and town culture rather than aristocratic culture.
We convinced that this historic land, which has the footsteps of modernization, is suitable to spread for new business forms and cultures.
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Origin of name
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【文椿ビルヂング-Fumitsubaki Building】
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文-Fumi
“文”is Japanese characters. It’s used "文化"(means "culture"), "文字"(means"character"),"文をしたためる"(means "writing sentence”).
It is more static than moving, inside than outside, slower than sudden. Still, it also includes the dazzlingness and the lively of civilization.
椿-Tsubaki-(means"Camellia”)
A representative flower tree in Japan.
Depending on the variety, flowering period is from early winter to late spring.
Glamorous flowers that blooms unexpectedly in the snow,and the thick green leaf with full gloss.
It makes us feel dignified integrity in contrast to elegance.
Clustered stamens in the center of the petal, that is yellow like the burning sun.
We crowned an elegant flower that blooms strongly in a barren season so as to we tried to express it as a preparation symbol of changing the cities west of Karasuma.
"Building" following “Tsubaki", that is telling the mood of old days in honor of modern Western European culture.
We set up a different perspective from the merits and meanings of traditional Kyoto souvenir stores and Machiya(traditional Japanese houses).
We imagined “new history’s Kyoto” that people from other cities, such as Doshisha and Kyoto University area,understood each.
Kyoto reconsideration / reconstruction “Fumitsubaki Building" Concept
- Academic and artistic
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Kyoto is a city where many universities and art universities have been scattered from long ago.
Not only is there a large number of public cultural facilities such as art museums, art galleries, museums, but also new and old large and small galleries exist around the city, people learn as they play.
Art exists naturally in the living.Intelligence, Surprise, Humor.
It is inspired intellectual curiosity.
We will aim for a building that is scattered such fragmentary elements.
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Historic modernity
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For example, Karakami and Kimono in the Taisho Period.
Traditional technology gives depth to its novel patterns and modern colors.
We were realized that nothing persuasive things than modernity backed by history.
For example Japanese sweets”Wagashi”.
It was shaped carefully using selected materials, pursuing negative aesthetics.
Its uniqueness is very traditional.In addition it has a sensational mood at the moment that would have amazed people.
We aim to be a building where you can experience "Kyoto will not be completed in a day".
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Relax and deluxe
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Kyoto is different from Tokyo, as well as Osaka and Kobe in the neighborhood, that the townscape and the road are human scales.They live on a bicycle and walking.Because we escaped from the damage of war.
It can be said that is a crucial element of Kyoto.
Slow Food, Slow Business, Slow Life etc ...Kyoto knew it from a thousand years ago when the “power of healing” was asserted.
Japanese incense,Japanese tea break,A soft lantern over a shoji,Japanese garden imitating nature, etc ...
The luxury of "slowly" that people live like to relax,and"Comfortable"bliss.
Luxury including wabisabi is make your mind fine
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Meaning that adults are cool
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Gentlemen in London and Madam in Paris
Adults are cool in the west.
Young people long for wanting to be adults.
Adults is a subject of longing.
Mature is praised.
It is time for us to think that such a city of mood may be born in Japan.
Honor the glow and flexibility of youth,We let go youth.While expressing respect for youth's glow and flexibility
We insist on adult culture and style that including composure, for those with their own aesthetic eye.
quotation --- In 2003, Concept Book of "Sanjo-Muromachi project”.
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