When modernity reinforces heritage

RESTORING and redesigning a 200-year-old structure that was damaged in an earthquake is no mean feat, let alone one that was deemed a heritage building by the government.

As the Hamada Shoyu building was registered as Tangible Cultural Property by the Japanese government in 2007, extra care had to be taken to ensure its original designs and structure of its warehouses and brickwork-supported boilers were retained.

“It was not an easy job but I enjoyed the challenge,” said Kengo Kuma, the architect tasked with overseeing the factory’s redesign and renovations.

Some of the Yokohama native’s renowned projects include the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Stadium, Suntory Museum of Art and Asakusa Culture Tourism Centre in Tokyo, Japan, Great Bamboo Wall House in Beijing, China, and V&A Dundee Museum in Scotland.

“Hamada has a long-established history in Kumamoto, so it was necessary to retain the original infrastructure while modernising it for today’s manufacturing standards,” said Kuma.

The Kengo Kuma & Associates founder said he visited the 2,400sq m factory about 15 years ago, and was impressed with how well-preserved the structure was and that it was still used to produce soy sauce.

“The building itself is very unusual – natural trunks were used as its structural system support,” said Kuma.

Its design came from Japan’s Edo period and was typical of those used for factories or warehouses.

“Although it sustained some cracks in the 2016 earthquake, the basic structures remained intact.

“I tried to preserve the original parts as much as possible to retain the structure’s original charm and allow visitors to see the beauty of authentic Japanese-style buildings.” The factory’s wooden structures were built from cedar and pine, which help keep it cool even during summer and control the building’s humidity – an important factor in soy sauce production. Meanwhile, the water and electric facilities had to be completely renovated to meet modern food safety production requirements.

A reception lounge, cafe and retail space were added in line with efforts to modernise the Hamada factory and open parts of it to visitors.

“A carbon-fibre stability structure system was installed in some parts of the building for structure reinforcement and seismic resistance,” said Kuma.

“It is a very new technology and is often used to strengthen wooden structures of national treasures and important cultural heritage in Japan.”

In line with the building’s “traditional meets contemporary” concept, Kuma said it was important that elements of the past and future were visible, including the giant 3,000-litre wooden barrels that are key to Hamada’s soy sauce production.