Kengo Kuma Design Deterioration of Nakagawa Town Art Museum, Asking for Repair Costs in Craphan - Mr. Kuma, who is involved in repairs, sends a message of support

The Nakagawa Hiroshige Museum of Art, located in Nakagawa Town, Tochigi Prefecture, has been deteriorating for 24 years since its opening. The town has started raising funds from July 31, 2024, as part of the repair cost of 300 million yen, with a target of 10 million yen through crowdfunding using hometown tax payments. (Photo: © Tochigi Prefecture Tourism Products Association)

The Nakagawa Hiroshige Museum of Art, which exhibits the works of ukiyo-e artist Hiroshige Ando, is a wooden building designed by world-renowned architect Kengo Kuma (46 years old at the time). The building was completed in 2000 by the former Matou Town (now Nakagawa Town) at a cost of about 1.2 billion yen. The entire building is made of locally grown eight-groove cedar and features a design that harmonizes with nature, but in recent years, the roof has been siding and the walls have been damaged.

According to the introduction of the achievements on the website of Kengo Kuma Architects and Urban Design Office, "This cedar wood can also be used as a roofing material by applying non-combustible treatment and embalming treatment, and we were able to achieve high environmental performance due to the unique cross-sectional shape of the louvers that cut sunlight and the eaves are long." introduction It has been.

Kengo Kuma sent a message of support to the crowdfunding page of Nakagawa Town, explaining the deterioration of the building, "Compared to the current situation, the performance of the protective paint of the wood is low, the wear and tear is progressing, and replacement is planned," and "We sincerely ask for your support." The crowdfunding deadline is October 27th, and currently (September 7 noon), 550,000 yen (5.5% achievement rate) has been donated ( ※ ）。 Kengo Kuma will also be in charge of designing the museum's repairs.

The contents of the contract at the time of the former Matou Town are unknown

On September 6, the editorial department asked Nakagawa about the contents of the contract with Kengo Kuma Architects related to durability and repairs at the time of completion of the museum, and the town replied, "The contents of the contract at the time of the former Matou Town are unknown, and there is no person in charge at that time." The former mayor of Magashi Town at the time of completion was Mr. Kazuo Kawasaki, who served as the first mayor of Nakagawa Town, which was created by merging with Ogawa Town in 2005, until 2009.

On the Internet, criticism of Kengo Kuma's architecture increases.

In the comment section of Yahoo! News, which reported this problem, a person claiming to be a first-class architect said, "Mr. Kuma does not understand how to use wood and how to handle rain, or he designs it with the assumption that it will rot from the beginning." There are many voices that sympathize with this.

On SNS, there is a post that the "Asakusa Tourism and Culture Center" is a public facility designed by Kengo Kuma, and that repairs are planned for the "Aore Nagaoka", which is more than 10 years old.

There is a famous architect who designs public facilities と地の持続possible

Kengo Kuma's public facilities are spread all over the country, and his innovative designs and architectural methods are attracting attention. However, even if Kengo Kuma's architecture has a certain effect of attracting customers, the reality is that it is difficult to stop the decline of the region just by its topicality. In addition, when the popularity subsides and repairs become necessary, there is a concern that maintenance and repairs will put pressure on the finances of the local government.

If the facility is built by a leading local company with its own budget, the problem will not be pointed out, but in the case of a public facility where a large amount of tax money is invested, it may be necessary to discuss how to ensure the specific effect of the work of a famous architect on the community and its sustainability when contracting with an architect.

Attention and donation status after Fuji TV's report

This time, on September 4th, Fuji Television reported extensively on the deterioration of the Nakagawa Town Mazu Hiroshige Museum of Art and crowdfunding for repair costs. Since then, it has been covered by local media and NHK in the Tokyo metropolitan area, but so far the amount collected is only 5.5% of the target.

Nakagawa Town is implementing "Government Crowdfunding" that utilizes the hometown tax payment system, and there is no return on luxury products. Donations are made when they resonate with the background of the application, the specific use of the donation, and the vision for the future.