{"id":576,"date":"2021-08-19T21:12:19","date_gmt":"2021-08-19T12:12:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/inst\/wihl-annex\/?p=576"},"modified":"2021-09-21T17:52:06","modified_gmt":"2021-09-21T08:52:06","slug":"creators-of-an-unprecedented-world-5%e3%80%80bringing-the-design-office-and-artisans-together-interior-renovations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/inst\/wihl-annex\/news-en\/576","title":{"rendered":"Creators of an Unprecedented World # 5\u3000Bringing the design office and artisans together\u2014interior renovations"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bringing the design office and artisans together\u2014interior renovations<\/h2>\n

One day in May of 2021, we once again visited Ken\u2019ichi Tanno, the construction manager for WIHL. It had been two months since we last met with Tanno, who is from KUMAGAI GUMI, a top-flight construction company. That was when the completed building was being handed over to Waseda. The spread of Covid-19 made it necessary to complete the construction work in less time than originally planned.
\nWe, the staff of the library, wanted to express our gratitude to him once again for his warm reception. Every time we visited him during the construction, he was waiting for us with hard hats for all the members of our team. Today, we came here to hear some insider stories about the renovation of Building 4.<\/p>\n

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Ken\u2019ichi Tanno (KUMAGAI GUMI Co., LTD.)<\/p><\/div>\n

Continued from the previous article. Click here for the previous article\u00a0(Exterior renovations)<\/a><\/p>\n

Ken\u2019ichi Tanno walks from WIHL\u2019s main entrance to the inside of the building. WIHL\u2019s tunnel is not just an exterior feature. An arch of louvers continues from the entrance to the staircase bookshelves.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt was quite difficult to get this right. There are stainless-steel cores built into the tops of the arched louvers above the stairs,\u201d Tanno told us. No matter how carefully we looked, however, we couldn\u2019t see any seams.Tanno encouraged us to try harder. \u201cLook from this angle.\u201d
\n[After following his advice we could finally see that the wooden louvers had been hollowed out and some material had been set in the groove, barely perceptible.]
\n\u201cTo give strength to a wooden element like this, you need a very tough core material. We worked hard to create the form while providing the durability specified by the design office.\u201dEven the small screws were carefully selected to match the color of the wood and perfectly achieve Kengo Kuma\u2019s design vision.<\/p>\n

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We asked Tanno, \u201cThe treads on the stairs look quite thin. Are they safe and durable?\u201d
\n\u201cThat\u2019s very observant of you. Yes, though they are really thin,\u201d Tanno adds with a crafty smile.
\n[What does that smile mean? Are the stairs really okay?]
\n\u201cActually, there are steel frames set into the bottoms of the stair treads. They serve as a foundation to support the thin boards,\u201d he replied.Tanno went on to explain the staircase bookshelf\u2019s four stages of construction. First, a scaffold was erected and the bookshelves were installed in the atrium. Next, the scaffolding was removed and the steel frames were installed to form the bottoms of the stairs. After that, the scaffolding was set in place again and the arch was installed above the atrium. Finally, the thin stair treads were placed on the steel frames. It seems to have been very challenging work. Thinking about these four stages of construction casts the staircase bookshelves in a different light.<\/p>\n

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It could not have been easy to ensure durability and safety while achieving beauty in design.
\nNevertheless, Tanno proudly explained, \u201cThe power of this work site, combined with those artisans, is wonderful. They have been involved in fine construction all their lives. They are the ultimate professionals. Unlike them, I can\u2019t build anything myself.\u201d He laughs gently, but we want to tell him that construction managers like him are also the ultimate professionals.<\/p>\n

Links<\/h3>\n