This study focused on laundromats and laundry cafes as places for sharing laundry. The purpose is to clarify their spatial characteristics and actual usage. For laundromats, we collected case studies from five areas in Tokyo and organized their spatial characteristics. For laundry cafes, we extracted examples in Tokyo, conducted interviews with operators, and conducted a questionnaire survey of users. The results suggest that there is a relationship between the size of laundromats and the quality of their facilities and services, and between people’s lifestyles and their reasons for choosing a laundry cafe.

This study aimed to elucidate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on passengers’ behaviors in rest spaces of Osaka Monorail stations concourses. A series of comparative analyses were conducted based on the previous study in 2008 and a subsequent investigation in 2022. The following findings were made: compared to the pre-pandemic period, passengers in concourses in post-pandemic period are more inclined to minimize their stay time in rest spaces, leading to a decline in the number of temporary facility users, particularly those boarding.

This paper reported on the “preservation integrated redevelopment plan” that preserves historical buildings and constructs skyscrapers. The Mitsui Main Building block redevelopment plan, which was applied to the Important Cultural Property Special Type Specified Block System, was taken as a case study. The purpose of this study was to summarize the contents of the study leading to the determination of the planning area at the initial stage of planning. In addition, regarding the selection of the design system, the process leading to the establishment of the special block system for important cultural properties was also summarized.

The focus is on a design process for continuous succession of modern housing architecture. While many of the houses that have been recognized for their values as modern architecture are in danger of being demolished in recent years, there has not been enough discussion about how to pass on their values while continuing to use them. The aim of this research is to clarify some of the issues involved in passing on modern housing architecture through the renovation of Shinjuku White House originally designed by Arata Isozaki and the subsequent process of its operation.

The COVID-19 PANDEMIC has brought about stagnation of local community activities for three years. Considering the situation, questionnaire surveys were put into practice in 2021 and 2023 to making the stagnation and recovery of activities clear by drawing comparisons between the same survey in 2018. These surveys targeted on community groups joined the Tochigi Community Association. The main findings are as follows: 1) Events accompanied many participants and activities in closed space were almost all cancelled; 2) Many outdoor activities came into effect under making efforts; 3) 2023 survey generally showed great recovery of activities and also some sequelae.

The theater in Shimokitazawa is composed of theaters of different sizes and usability, and the characteristics of the theater troupes that perform there differ from theater to theater. The characteristics of the theaters in Shimokitazawa are analyzed from two perspectives: the attributes of the theaters themselves, such as the number of seats and ticket prices for performances, and the types of theater companies that choose each theater as a venue for their productions. The following is an analysis of the relative position and role of each theater in the group of theaters.

The aim of this paper is to clarify the transition of the site uses and building contours in shopping streets in the northern part of Sumida Ward, Tokyo, where a life of integrated work and residence has taken root as a town of manufacturing. We clarified three tendencies of their transition corresponding to the area pattern of the roads.

This study conducted a questionnaire survey of users of a commercial facility with entertainment tenants in Tokyo and got the following results: (1) As characteristics of the facility, the number of users who spent a large payment amount was small, and the younger generation spent a larger amount than the older generation. (2) Users of entertainment tenants showed higher payment amounts, time spent, and satisfaction. (3) A large entertainment tenant was highly effective in attracting visitors without encouraging them to visit other tenants, but small entertainment tenants contributed to circulate them to multiple tenants and to increase their payment amounts.

In this study, the functions of community store are grasped using two analytical methods: location analysis and an analysis of its management situation. Measurements of access distance revealed that the existence of community store ensures access to shopping facilities within walking range for approximately 9,000 people. Interview surveys of community stores revealed that operating at a loss was an issue. Non-participant observation survey revealed that community stores have function as a source of information for the local community, a consultation function for local problems, and a welfare support function such as monitoring residents.

In this study, the usage status of long-term care services before and after the spread of COVID-19 infection was ascertained through analysis of long-term care receipt data and interviews with local government departments. In many local governments, service usage has stalled due to the spread of COVID-19 infection. The operating status of home services, which were operational in 2020, deteriorated in 2021. As the operating conditions of providers deteriorated, alternative services were used. The increase in demand has created a waiting list, and a phenomenon had seen what such demand is concentrated on specific provider.

This article evaluates the optimal placement of AEDs in large-scale urban facilities with skyscrapers using Golden Hour Principle. According to the results, the placement of AEDs differs significantly when the metric of maximizing smallest survival rate is used compared with maximizing average survival rate. For maximizing the average survival rate, it is better to install AEDs on a floor slightly below the top floor rather than on the top floor in the case of skyscrapers. However, if the goal is to maximize the smallest survival rate, then installing AEDs on the most disadvantageous top floor is the optimal configuration.

In this study, numerical calculations are performed for Fukuyama Station Square, where the urban space will be reorganized, to understand the characteristics of the current urban thermal environment and the effect of improvements brought about by greening associated with the square’s reorganization. Additionally, by integrating the results of these analyses and user questionnaire responses, an “advisory map for thermal environment mitigation in the restructuring of Fukuyama Station Square” will be created. This map shows guidance on how the square should be developed and used with consideration for the urban thermal environment.

This study aims to clarify the awareness that private companies have regarding the system and effectiveness of Urban Renaissance Safety Security Plans, through a survey. This research obtained insights suggesting that they might expect not only the improvement of disaster prevention capabilities but also the enhancement of regional value for Urban Renaissance Safety Security Plans. Among the aspects of regional value enhancement, community building among stakeholders was ranked highly. Beyond that, there are indications that the expectations vary depending on the industry of the private companies.

The rising psychological strain of urban living has sparked interest in forest therapy to enhance well-being. This study explores the under-researched role of personality traits on perceived setting interdependencies (PSI) and fascination in urban parks. Structural equation modeling of 435 park visitors in Bangkok revealed that extraversion and conscientiousness affect PSI and fascination, with negative impacts from the interaction between park design and personality traits on PSI. These findings highlight the intermediary role of PSI and inform park design strategies that reduce stress across personality types, promoting inclusive, engaging environments to improve mental health in urban populations.

This study shows how the streetscape with traditional houses has changed during the conversion of historic settlements into suburban residential areas. In Kohama, Takarazuka, the city government established a landscape plan just before the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake damaged many historic houses in this area. The character of Kohama was changed to a suburban residential area and now few historic buildings remain. However, there are cases of new houses being built in consideration of the traditional townscape, and the effect of creating a historic landscape is emerging.

To complement an existing landscape guideline, a collection of townscape scenes for Kamakura’s Komachi-dori shopping street was developed through a combination of a university urban planning studio and a series of participatory workshops. The process successfully facilitated participants’ discussions based on students’ proposals of townscape scenes. The final output consisted of 10 current townscape characteristics and 14 design implications. Feedback collected from questionnaires given at exhibition and workshop, as well as interviews with key stakeholders, indicated highly favorable evaluations of the townscape scenes regarding their visual representations and design implications and the collaborative process involving students and local stakeholders.

This study aims to clarify background and public awareness activities to enactment and operation of the ordinance based on Building Standards Act 3.1.3. The results are as follows: (1) The ordinance has been enacted in 23 municipalities. (2) The enactment process of this ordinance can be classified into three types. (3) Few municipalities of Type A and B provide financial and technical support. Additionally, few municipalities of Type A investigate historic buildings and incorporate the ordinance into their master plans. (4) Municipalities of Types A and B should hold briefings for experts.

This study reports on effects of workshop using a combination of 3D-GIS and AR (Augmented Reality) technology as a tool to facilitate the sharing of spatial images. The workshops that this study focused were held with web-based 3D-GIS map and AR applications. In this study, participants and administrators were interviewed in terms of information bidirectionality. The purpose of this study is to clarify how the participants and administrators received the benefits and challenges of the tools from comparison with conventionally used tools and differences in attributes.

This study presents the case of “Open Nagaya Osaka” as an example of an open house in a narrow residential space during the COVID-19 pandemic. The contents of the event program are presented, and the results of a questionnaire administered to event participants and the results of CO₂ concentration measurements are used to clarify the outcomes of the event. Subsequently, we demonstrate how to conduct an open house that enhances participant satisfaction while implementing infection control measures.

Machiya townhouses and narrow streets, found across Japan, are historical and scenic resources. However, even in Kyoto, they are both rapidly disappearing. It causes to disappear Kyoto’s historical streetscapes. This study examined people’s impression evaluation of various streets with various ratio of Kyo-machiya and the street width, and analyzing how these factors impact people’s impressions of the streetscape. The results reveal the influence of coexistence of Kyo-machiya and “narrow” street on people’s perceptions, considering with other streetscape elements.

Recently, online platforms for urban planning have been developed. However, although there are examples of their use in urban-scale planning, they have not been fully utilized in district-scale town planning, which involves the development of public spaces such as station-front spaces and parks. The aim of this paper is to develop an online platform to support citizen participation workshops in district-scale urban planning. We will clarify the effectiveness of a system that enables the accumulation and updating of data examined by administrators, citizens and experts at workshops and other events in the development of public spaces.

The research aims to analyze how benches influence seated postures in public spaces, using OpenPose for skeletal estimation from images and videos. This technology detects and tracks possibilities for human body analysis and motion recognition in public space research. The focus is on understanding the impact of benches on interactions and stays in these areas.

This paper analyzes land-use management issues on excavating sites of grave and rock from a viewpoint of restoration and keeping proper land-use and conversion into another land-use especially for urban land-use. Therefore, this study focuses on conversion cases of excavated sites in the three major metropolitan areas in Japan. This paper analyzes on land ownership transition before and after the excavation. In addition, several case studies of land-use conversion by original forest owners were conducted to analyze the subject of land use adjustments and environmental issues.

As water-related disasters become more frequent and severe, it is necessary to take measures including building flood-resistant housing in expected flood zones, in addition to river maintenance. In this context, in Japan, interest in flood countermeasures is growing in the housing sector as well, and although progress is being made in the development and sale of housing, consumer demand is not yet clear. This report presents the results of a survey on willingness to pay for anti-flood measures of single-family housings, using the contingent valuation method, to contribute to the vitalization of such housing market sectors.

This study proposes a platform for building maintenance management that integrates point cloud data with equipment attribute information and maintenance history. Point cloud data accurately captures equipment shapes, while attribute information is managed using COBie, and inspection records are maintained separately. By linking these datasets, the platform enables efficient searching and referencing of information, providing functions similar to BIM. This approach aims to enhance the digitization and efficiency of maintenance tasks in existing buildings.

This study clarifies the working environment and career development issues of migrant workers in Malaysian and Thai construction industry through literature and interview surveys. Having transformed from sending workforce to developed countries into accepting it from developing countries, both of two have the challenges of skill training and on-site instructions in order to educate low-skilled workers. On the other hand, the tolerance towards foreigners is expected to continue bringing an influx of workforce in the future. Japan is required to appear the benefit of Japanese construction work for acquiring migrant workforce.

This study shows the construction method and its characteristics of sheathed walls in the former Kaichi School building through the building survey. The building survey provided the plans for each member of the building framework and a detailed understanding of the composition and planning of building materials for walls. As a conclusion of this study, the wall surface composed of two pieces of Kabe-nuki (joinery) was unique, and this was the result of ingenuity which was aimed at realizing a Gi-yofu architecture (an imitative Western-style architecture) with sheathed walls.

In 1960, Sachio Ohtani and Hiroshi Sasaki published a paper entitled “Composition of Architecture by Stages.” They showed the types and uses of products composed of various materials and stated that precast concrete was effective in controlling concrete construction in Japan after World War II. However, they never explained anything about the period after 1960. This study shows that the types and parts of use of factory-made concrete products emerged between 1960 and 1979 were diversified, but their amount of use decreased. It was also found that most products eventually became precast concrete panels used primarily for walls.

This report uses Kamo in the 1955s as an example to clarify the relationship between Gangi-Dōri and regular markets. After 1955, from the perspective of ensuring traffic safety, the regular markets that had been held on the road were moved to Gangi-Dōri, and it began to be used as safe commercial space with face-to-face stalls. After that, the road was used exclusively as a road for automobiles, Gangi-Dōri became more important as a sidewalk, and the regular markets were completely relocated.

This study examined the changes and issues facing the 280 DOCOMOMO Japan selected buildings up to FY2022, based on the status of their registration as cultural assets and demolition. This enabled the study to identify the role that the DOCOMOMO Japan selection has inherited and the challenges it faces in the future. As the nomination rules were revised from the 2023 selection, the selection up to FY2022 would be a milestone and a good opportunity to reflect on the role that the selection has played to date.

This paper focuses on the description of Tenryu-wood in “Kenchikuyou honpousan mokuzai oyobi sekizai, daiippen; mokuzai no bu” and summarizes its characteristics. The book resulted from a comprehensive survey of domestic timbers and regarded Tenryu cedar as one of the representative timbers in Japan. In the text, some descriptions positively evaluate the quality of Tenryu cedar wood. In contrast, Tenryu cypress wood was not superior to other timbers regarding production volume and quality. However, it was traded at a higher unit price than other timbers in Shizuoka Prefecture, taking advantage of the cedar volume in circulation and its high reputation.

In the densely wooded residential areas of Osaka, many narrow streets with widths of less than 4 meters, called “alleys,” remain along with row houses built by the housing supply. While these streets pose urban planning problems, the atmosphere of human-scale space has recently been recognized as a unique attraction. In this study, we conducted a field survey of the row houses accumulation area in Osaka City, focusing on private use. The purpose of this study was to clarify how alley spaces are used, and to gain basic knowledge on issues and their future utilization.

There are few cases of CO2 absorption mortar used in products by 3D printer for construction, and the technical theme is not well shared. The purpose of this study is to show a geometric data creation method and process model for design projects by 3D printer as above. In a bench design project, the authors optimized geometry with an index of CO2 absorption volume. In addition, the roles of two types of geometric data, a path-guided model and a as-built prediction model, were clarified in the printing process, and the process of creating the geometric data was organized.

This study explores the use of Employer’s Information Requirements (EIR) and BIM Execution Plan (BEP) in construction projects. Analyzing guidelines in Japan and New Zealand, it assesses the purpose and content of EIR and BEP. Findings show the important roles of BIM representatives and life cycle consultants in EIR development, clarifying BIM’s purpose. The discussion highlights EIR and BEP as crucial tools for clients, addressing information management challenges and promoting effective BIM use throughout a building’s life cycle, emphasizing the need for domestic EIR and BEP projects for BIM dissemination.

This research aims to construct a street attractiveness evaluation method that utilizes various eye-tracking, deep learning, and image-processing technologies and to verify its validity in environments with diverse components. Specifically, we will conduct eye-tracking experiments in both real and VR environments, using the attractiveness of a shopping street for pedestrians as an example. Then, we will use the results to train a deep generative model and create a visualization method for general trends in attractiveness distribution for shopping streets. We will also consider individual differences in attractiveness and the influence of environmental differences on visual saliency.

In recent years, concern about climate change due to global warming has led to a growing interest in environmental issues in the building industry. However, it has been pointed out that the incorporation of environmental elements in architectural design education at universities has not been adequately addressed. This study conducted a questionnaire survey of students in university architecture courses and analyzed the results to examine how students perceive environmental elements, their attitudes towards environmentally friendly buildings, the trade-off between construction costs and environmental performance, and their desires for environmental element education.

In recent years, there has been increasing attention paid to Design-Build education in Japan, and many university laboratories have conducted Design-Build projects. However, few documents examine such laboratory-led extracurricular projects from an educational perspective. This paper reports on the findings obtained through a laboratory-led house renovation project designed and built by the students. Summarizing the activities and educational efficacy in each project stage, it discusses the significance and challenges of conducting a Design-Build education program as a laboratoryled extracurricular project.

The authors conducted literature surveys of the 1889 Kumamoto earthquake and presented in the former papers, in order to understand the background of the disaster of 2016 Kumamoto earthquake. On new year’s day of 2024, the destructive earthquake occurred in Noto Peninsula. In this paper we performed literature surveys on the 1933 Noto peninsula earthquake, one of the previous events, referring reconnaissance reports and newspaper articles at that time. Detailed damage by municipalities was clarified and listed. Situation and process of human casualties were also traced with newspaper articles.

To promote the adoption of seismic isolated buildings, validating their seismic safety is important. By using results of scratch recorded equipment installed in the seismic isolated floor, seismic behavior and response of the buildings have been analyzed by previous studies. This paper presents the findings of investigations on the damaged condition of 24 seismic isolated buildings located in Ishikawa, Toyama, and Niigata prefectures after the Noto Peninsula Earthquake of January 1, 2024. The maximum displacement response obtained from the scratch records and that of analytical model are compared and discussed.

The efforts of local governments are essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To support these initiatives, an online platform providing SDG-related information was developed. The platform offers two main functions: searching for and sharing information. Users can search for plans, progress, and exemplary cases related to the SDGs across 1,788 local governments, while local governments can voluntarily share their own exemplary cases. Since its launch in 2018, the platform has been utilized by approximately 400 local governments, facilitating widespread information sharing.