Nihonbashi has a long historical background.
We are restoring the vitality of this community, which at some point veered away from being the center of activity, according to the Nihonbashi Revitalization Plan.
Shimizu contributed to community planning by staying involved in the whole process of the Nihonbashi East Muromachi Area Redevelopment Project, which was completed in 2014, from the community planning stage, through the design and construction.

Calling People Back to Nihonbashi through Community Planning

Nihonbashi flourished in the Edo Period (1603-1868) as the starting point of the five main highways. From the Meiji Period (1868-1912) onward, Nihonbashi prospered as a hub for finance, commerce, and an office district.
However, the Metropolitan Expressway was built over the Nihonbashi Bridge in preparation for the Tokyo Olympics in 1964. After it lost its scenic attractiveness, the bustling activity as a commercial district gradually declined.
It was based on such circumstances that the general developer, Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd., created a revitalization plan for Nihonbashi. The new initiative in community planning began with the government, the private sector, and the local community working as one team, based on the concept of "keeping, restoring, and creating."
The Nihonbashi East Muromachi Area Redevelopment Project that Shimizu participated in was the project that kicked this off.

Designing, Not Just Buildings, but the Flow of People

The main feature of this community plan was the integrated development of four blocks, including the construction of three high-rise complexes and a shrine. Shimizu also played a role in implementing this plan.
Rather than developing the four blocks as one uninterrupted area, the continuity of the neighboring small commercial area including long-established shops was maintained by keeping existing sections of the town. Arranging small shops along each street had the benefit of spreading out the crowds that congregate primarily on the streets into surrounding areas. Moreover, the line of foot traffic through each block was planned to run through buildings, creating a new flow of people.

Four-block composition

Muromachi Higashi Mitsui Building
(COREDO Muromachi 1)

Construction Period

February 2009 to September 2010

Structure and Scale

SRC + S construction (CFT columns)
B4-22F-PH2
Building area: 2,325 m²
Total floor area: 41,066 m²

Muromachi Furukawa Mitsui Building
(COREDO Muromachi 2)

Construction Period

November 2011 to February 2014

Structure and Scale

S construction, partial SRC construction, RC construction
B4-22F
Building area: 3,723 m²
Total floor area: 62,472 m²

Muromachi Chibagin Mitsui Building
(COREDO Muromachi 3)

Construction Period

August 2012 to February 2014

Structure and Scale

S construction, partial SRC construction, RC construction
B4-17F
Building area: 1,771 m²
Total floor area: 29,238 m²

Fukutoku Shrine

Construction Period

March 2014 to October 2014

Structure and Scale

RC construction, partial S construction, RC construction
B2-1F
Building area: 84 m²
Total floor area: 889 m²

Creating the Appeal of a New Town

In addition to offices and commercial facilities, the high-rise complex also contains a multipurpose hall, a cinema complex, and upscale residential housing, which are firsts for this area.
The plan was to create a new gathering place and a lively community where all sorts of people gather, work and live.

Fusing Modern Technology and Traditional Techniques

We redeveloped Fukutoku Shrine, which has a history extending back more than 1,000 years, in the shrine block. Since the period of high growth, it had been transferred to the rooftop of a building, inside a store, and other places.
The traditional architecture for the sanctuary called for unvarnished wood appropriate to Nihonbashi, which conveys the culture of the Edo Period. However, there were regulations on fire resistance since it is located in the middle of a city, so we could not build it of wood. We therefore devoted effort to devising a way to make it look like traditional wooden architecture using traditional joint and coupling woodworking techniques, while building a fire-resistant structure from steel frame. This shrine fuses the modern technology that Shimizu possesses with the traditional techniques of the master shrine carpenters.

Project Design that Continues Until the Project Takes Shape

Shimizu performed many different tasks, including community planning, detailed designs and construction through completion of buildings for approximately 10 years.
The work on detailed designs must fulfill the role of linking the content specified in the initial community plan for a project to the construction. We contributed to making the community plan a reality by serving as the middleman for the project. In this role, we collaborated with architects and designers while also responding to the desires of the entities that placed the order as well as the resident companies.
Throughout the whole process from design to construction, we responded to the changing needs of the entities that placed the order, integrated various proposals, and developing these into an implementable "shape" one by one, through discussion. We worked to make the community more attractive while working to achieve a consensus among those involved. We believe that the whole project process lies within the field of design.

Overview of the Nihonbashi East Muromachi Area Redevelopment Project