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<\/h2>\n<\/h2>\nAt 14:46:18 on March 11, 2011, a massive M9.0 earthquake struck off the coast of Sanriku in Tohoku.<\/p>\n
Human casualties \/ Dead: 15,893, Missing: 2,553<\/p>\n
Number of evacuees: 123,168 (as of February 13, 2017)<\/p>\n
Damage to houses: Totally destroyed: 118,000 houses Half destroyed: 182,000 houses
\nArea inundated by tsunami: 561 km2<\/p>\n
Agricultural land damaged by the tsunami: 21,476 ha<\/p>\n
This major earthquake and tsunami caused tremendous damage mainly in the Tohoku region.<\/p>\n
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<\/h2>\nWe went to the affected areas to understand the situation, listen to the real voices of the victims, and find out what their needs were. We learned that even in the same disaster area, the degree of damage and the speed of recovery differed from region to region.<\/p>\n
The local conditions and needs kept changing, and I spent many days listening to the voices of the local people.<\/p>\n
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<\/h2>\nAs we continued our research, we focused on soil, which contains salt from seawater. We thought we could make use of our existing technology and construction method, “soil blocks.<\/p>\n
“Soil blocks are made of magnesium oxide derived from seawater. Soil that has been salted by the tsunami cannot be used as farmland, but it can be used effectively as soil blocks.<\/p>\n
We have decided to use our expertise in soil block structures to manufacture soil blocks in several locations as part of our reconstruction support. We will weave a new value into the soil that has been covered by seawater and has become “abandoned”.<\/p>\n
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From the design to the creation and stacking of the earthen blocks, Atelier Tenkohjin, the Minamisanriku Reconstruction Promotion Network, local residents, university professors, and university students participated in the project.<\/p>\n
The local residents hosted a barbecue and we were able to deepen our friendship. The color and other characteristics of the soil differed from region to region, and we were able to create unique soil blocks.<\/p>\n
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In Utatsu, Minamisanriku Town, there was a need for a place for local residents to gather.<\/p>\n
Our proposal was to dig about one meter into the ground, use the excavated soil as a material, and build the interior walls with clay blocks. Team Nikko, a group of volunteers from Tochigi, led the construction with many volunteers.<\/p>\n
Many residents were interested in the earthen blocks made from local soil, and the finished product became a meeting place that is familiar to many more people.<\/p>\n
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<\/h2>\nA caf\u00e9 for social interaction called “Ochako Club” has been built on the premises of the town hospital in Onagawa.<\/p>\n
In addition to serving light meals and drinks, the facility is decorated with pictures of Onagawa’s festivals and lion dances, playing a role in conveying the local culture.<\/p>\n
The “Ochako Club” made clay tiles from Onagawa soil using clay block technology. The soil collected in Onagawa is characterized by its reddish color. Some of the clay tiles have messages written on them by the people who were involved in making them, and they will be used on shelves and walls to display familiar objects.<\/p>\n
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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA<\/p><\/div>\n
The village of Nishido in the Togura district is located at a low elevation and was hit by the tsunami over a wide area. Originally, Nishido had a lot of agricultural land, which was also damaged by the tsunami. The area where more than a dozen temporary housing units were built was originally used as fields, and during our stay we saw residents working in the fields around the temporary housing units.<\/p>\n
During our stay, we saw residents working in the fields around the temporary shelter. We proceeded with the construction of a soil warehouse using soil that had been damaged by salt in Nishido and could no longer be used for cultivation. During the construction, Atelier Tenkohjin staff held workshops with local residents, businesses, and many volunteers.<\/p>\n
Many people living in evacuation centers also participated in our workshops. They made clay blocks with their own hands and piled them up one by one to make architecture.<\/p>\n
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In the tsunami-devastated Tohoku Pacific region, it was not possible to construct buildings. In addition, from our experience in supporting the recovery from the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, we knew that the conventional temporary housing had problems such as tasteless exterior and interior design and disposal after demolition.<\/p>\n
In the face of the overwhelming shortage of temporary housing, we launched the “Mobile Smile” project, based on the development of trailer houses, in order to provide mobile spaces with flexible functions that do not fall into the category of architecture.<\/p>\n
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The NPO N\u30fbC\u30fbS, which has a system to build permanent housing, and the trailer house association, which has a system to enable mobility, worked together to provide housing for the victims.
\nWhen it is moved, it is a vehicle and can be used as a temporary building. After that, if the foundation is built and anchored, it can be used for more than 30 years, and it is also an environmental relief project that does not produce waste. Basically, it will be used as temporary housing and reconstruction housing, but it can also be used as a mobile library, meeting place, store, etc. It is a vehicle and architecture that can be used for various purposes.<\/p>\n
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n order to regain its luster for the future, the city of Kamaishi appointed an architect, Toyo Ito, as the “Kamaishi City Reconstruction Director” to carry out the reconstruction plan. Mr. Ito thought that the empathy that good architects have for the citizens and their ability to conceive and implement plans with an eye to the future should be utilized in the reconstruction process.<\/p>\n
He created the “Kamishi Future Town Project” as a concrete plan. The architects were asked to act as translators and facilitators between the government, which would create a large framework, and the citizens, who would have to deal with their individual situations. The “Kamaishi Future Town Project” is a project to achieve the reconstruction of Kamaishi full of vitality for the future, so that everyone will want to return and visit.<\/p>\n
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Under the “Kamaishi Future Town Project,” several proposals were submitted. We were awarded the top prize in the second round of proposals, the “Kamaishi City Disaster Recovery Public Housing (Koshirahama Area) Basic Design and Implementation Design Proposals.<\/p>\n
The main thrust of our proposal was the concept of “reading the local landscape of low-rise gable-roofed houses and revitalizing the community in three dimensions.<\/p>\n
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The houses and landscape of the surrounding villages were read and used as a design motif. Large, medium, and small community spaces were created for community building.<\/p>\n
On the first floor, there is a large common space open to the community, such as a meeting place, and the common corridor is wide, creating a medium-sized community space. Between the units, there will be small places for neighbors to interact with each other in an unpretentious daily manner.<\/p>\n
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Since the proposed plan was selected in January 2013, we have held a total of three workshops with local prospective residents.<\/p>\n
In the second workshop, full-scale mock-ups of the two types of housing units were made out of cardboard. After the third workshop, the local residents prepared seafood from the Sanriku region, and we were able to deepen our relationship while enjoying the food.<\/p>\n
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After the completion of the implementation design in October 2013, we were ready to bid for the construction company. However, we were confronted with a situation where no construction company would raise their hand to bid.<\/p>\n
More than two years had passed since the earthquake, and the sound of reconstruction was becoming stronger. As a result, the cost of materials and labor soared.<\/p>\n
The city of Kamaishi was forced to change the framework of the construction project itself in order to respond to the citizens’ demand for reconstruction public housing to be built as soon as possible.<\/p>\n
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The public housing in the Koshirahama district that we designed was designed and constructed by House. Sekisui House did a special design and construction based on the plan we had developed with the Koshirahama and Kamaishi City residents, including a wide balcony, communal corridors with spaces to stay in place, and a place to interact with the neighbors.<\/p>\n
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In July 2015, three years after the competition, a reconstruction public housing project was completed in the village of Koshirahama. Four years have passed since the earthquake. Thanks to the efforts of the city of Kamaishi and others, this public housing project has become a reality.<\/p>\n
In addition to the 20 public housing units, 3 small public housing units were also added. A place to live\/small community like an alley open to the sea has also been realized.<\/p>\n
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