We renovated a house designed by Koji Takematsu, which was built about 30 years ago. Although we call it a renovation, we did not change the floor plan or anything. We kept the original design as much as possible. Shoji screens were removed and replaced with new shoji paper, and flooring was scraped from damaged areas. The air conditioner and light fixtures were replaced, and the walls were painted and cleaned to give the building a second life. It is a very beautiful space.
In Japan today, there are many buildings that can still be used, known as existing stock. Many of them are torn down and replaced with new ones, mainly for business reasons, even though they have not reached the end of their lifespan. From a different perspective, however, the existing stock of buildings is a “resource” that can be recycled. The frame and materials have not reached the end of their useful life. The era of shiny new things having the highest value has already passed. The era of scrap-and-build is a thing of the past. Use as much as possible for as long as possible. Reuse, don’t throw away. When you must throw something away, think about recycling it. We are now in an age where such things are aesthetically pleasing. How can we use old things? I feel that both the creators and users of things should be aware of this.