Japan Architectural Review最新文献

In 2016, a countermeasure was announced against the Nankai Trough long-period and long-duration ground motions (LPGMs) in Japan. However, the response spectrum method (RSM), indicated by the Ministry of Construction notification Vol. 2009 (MCN), was out of the countermeasure. An RSM considering characteristic changes due to repeated deformations has also been proposed. However, since the damping correction formula of MCN was used, its applicability to LPMGs has not been sufficiently investigated. In this paper, a method is proposed to evaluate the influence of characteristic changes due to repeated deformations using RSM for LPGMs and seismically isolated buildings using the lead plug-inserted laminated rubber (LRB).

This study examined the spatial distribution characteristics of urban private gardens under the influence of the shiyin concept (seclusion in the city) by studying urban private gardens in Suzhou from the end of the 14th century to the middle of the 18th century. Under the influence of shiyin, private gardens were constructed within the city. The urban spatial distribution features of 38 private gardens were analyzed through space syntax and related methods. The results show that (1) locationally, the private gardens were located more in main functional areas instead of suburban areas, and (2) structurally, the urban private gardens were integrated globally and separated locally in the urban space system. Combined with the discussion of shiyin, the results show that the reclusion aspect of shiyin is not related to the location distribution of urban private gardens, but is reflected more at the structural level, with urban private gardens locally separated from urban space systems. This study provides a new perspective to discuss urban private gardens in terms of urban space and suggests a focus on local structural features of private gardens at the medium and micro level of urban space (such as streets and blocks).

This paper analyzes the benefits and problems of the early involvement contractor into projects and the use of project managers from the perspective of each stakeholder. Interviews were conducted with clients, architects, general contractors, and outsourced owner's representative firm as a PM/CM consultants to compare each stakeholder's responses regarding the early involvement of general contractors into projects and the use of outsourced owner's representatives to identify the benefits and problems. The possibility that these two trends can coexist and complement each other's issues was indicated and the characteristics of the expected role of outsourced owner's representatives in Japan were also pointed out.

This note focuses on super-priority liens (SPLs), which allow homeowner associations to foreclose a property over its mortgage. Twenty-two states have so far implemented such liens, hoping to balance the interests of mortgage creditors and homeowner associations. The state of Nevada has been facing more challenges from both mortgage creditors and homeowner associations regarding the constitutionality of non-judicial foreclosure than other states. This paper summaries the cases since 2000 and discusses the three major decisions that the Supreme Court of Nevada made involving SPLs' non-judicial constitutionality, tender-extinguishing SPLs, and federal creditors' role in SPLs.

A method for formulating a rational reorganizing plan was examined. The first approach involved statistically determining the reorganization priority, which was applied to all public housing residential buildings in Kobe city to confirm its effectiveness. The second approach entailed creating a program that automatically ranks all combinations of housing units under consideration for reorganization, based on the required reconstruction costs and the potential for reducing the number of dwelling units and buildings. When this program was applied in the area, it yielded combinations of housing units that could reorganize more dwelling units at a lower cost.

The utilization of natural ventilation to reduce thermal load and enhance thermal comfort in buildings is on the rise. Furthermore, in light of the COVID-19 impact, natural ventilation is gaining prominence as an increasingly vital technology. However, it is crucial to address potential challenges associated with natural ventilation, particularly its impact on the indoor thermal environment. This study aimed to examine and offer insights into natural ventilation design and operational strategies for office buildings. We initially summarized the criteria and effective opening area of natural ventilation openings (αAi) in Japanese naturally ventilated buildings. Among the 37 investigated office buildings, we found a positive correlation between the natural ventilation room area and the αAi. Approximately, 25 buildings maintained a ratio of αAi to the natural ventilation room area ranging from 0.1%–0.5%. Additionally, we conducted measurements of the indoor thermal environment, focusing on the opening ratio of natural ventilation openings. The difference of indoor and outdoor temperature showed a strong negative correlation with the opening ratio, while wind direction and global solar radiation exhibited significant correlations as well. These research findings provide valuable insights for future natural ventilation designs and the incorporation of opening ratio concepts into operational methods.

The purpose of this study was to reconstruct the spatial characteristics of the villages on Kikaijima Island immediately before and after World War II to examine the characteristics of these spatial characteristics within the context of the topographical situation of the villages. In this study, we clarified the commonalities and differences of the location and spatial composition of the villages by analyzing aerial photographs of all of the villages on Kikaijima Island by the US military immediately before and after World War II.

This paper aims to clarify the relationship between flood damage and methods of repairing detached houses. The authors examined what repair works for each building part and element were performed in 11 surveyed houses flooded above the floor level, based on the field survey in Hiroshima Pref., an area heavily affected by a flood event in 2018 which included technical interviews with a regional building contractor. The findings indicate the repair methods for flood-damaged houses were similar for those with similar inundation depths, and characterized by the depth of flooding rather than structural types. They analyzed the quantitative relationship between repair cost and flooding magnitude to develop a regression model using “flood water volume,” which is the product of the repaired floor area and the flooding depth above the floor, as the explanatory variable. The analysis shows the regression model was intuitively easy to understand and highly compatible. After confirming the qualitative and quantitative relationship between repair work and flooding magnitude, they considered simulated repair methods for a model house and analyzed cost fluctuations at four flood levels to present the two types of standard repair work: normal plan and minimum plan, that could be assumed for each flooding level.

The Catholic Diocese of Fukuoka holds documents from the late 1920s when the Diocese was newly established. The documents show how construction of church buildings were carried out in the early days of the Diocese. Madarajima church and Yobuko church were rebuilt in 1929. Both were built using the method of relocation and reuse of wooden church buildings, which became disused due to rebuilding. Study of the documents revealed that old church structures were purposely reused because it could provide a church of Gothic Revival style with rib-vaulted ceiling and also reduce the construction cost. Gothic Revival style with rib-vaulted ceiling was the standard of church design in Japan since the late 19th century until the 1920s. Because of this tradition, parish priest as well as parishioners of both of Madarajima and Yobuko churches desired Gothic style with the rib-vaulted ceiling for the new church buildings. The Diocesan documents showed that the parish priest as well as parishioners of Madarajima Church contributed cash to building funds on top of the deposit of the parish in order to materialize the new church of Gothic Revival style and the Diocese covered the deficit.

The categoraization employed for Kyoto residents' consciousness, values, and physical constitution described in the previous report was also applied to Hiroshima and Aichi, and the validity of the categoraization was confirmed. The findings of this study can be summarized as follows: (1) The questions on the residents' consciousness, values, and physical constitution were highly independent, and the first principal component, “the importance of values, such as environmental protection, traditions, and seasonality,” and the second component, “tolerance/patience with cold weather,” were found to be applicable to Hiroshima and Aichi, as well as to Kyoto. (2) The two principal components were used to categorize residents into four groups in each of the study areas, and the characteristics of each group were reviewed. Trends in the three areas were similar, but there were also trends unique to Hiroshima and Aichi, where consciousness and values prioritizing the environment and nature conservation were observed. (3) We consider that observing environmental regulation behavior with a focus on the consciousness, values, and physical constitution of residents may provide clues to understanding the diversity of living styles. This leads to the identification of individual differences in adaptive behavior toward the thermal environment.