The "Kurashiki City Office Main Building" as an Architectural Structure - A Symbol of Kurashiki Filled with Commitment to Its Tall Tower and Citizens' Hall (Kurashiki Architectural Journey Vol. 4)

Interview with the person in charge of building management at Kurashiki City General Affairs Division

We spoke with Tatsuya Henmi and Masatoshi Mino, who are in charge of managing the Kurashiki City main office building at the General Affairs Division.

About the work of building management

Please tell us about the work of building management.

Henmi (honorifics omitted)

In general, there are two main tasks.

The first is managing the conference rooms within the building.
Various purposes such as meetings, training, and seminars utilize the conference rooms, and we manage the schedule for which department uses the rooms and when.

The second is managing lost and found items within the building.
When lost items are found, we make announcements within the building, and if no one comes to claim them, we deliver them to the police.

Mino (honorifics omitted)

I manage the building's air conditioning and ventilation systems to ensure they function properly.

Since you started this job, you may have visited places that a regular citizen wouldn't normally see. Have you encountered anything surprising?

Henmi

Perhaps the "Citizen Hall."

It's located on the first floor, but it's not open to the public and is used only for special occasions like ceremonies. I think I wouldn't have been able to enter if it weren't for this job.

Mino

I was also surprised by the "Citizen Hall," but another place is the "Assembly Hall."

I entered it for the first time after coming to this department, and I was impressed by the attention to detail in both the interior design and the facilities.

I believe the Citizen Hall cannot be used just by asking to use it. Are there any rules regarding its use?

Henmi

Since it is not a conference room, we have established "conditions for using the Citizen Hall."

For example, it can be used for special ceremonies attended by the mayor.

Because its purpose is different from that of regular conference rooms, it is rarely used. It is treated as a "special place."

The Kurashiki City main office building has been over 40 years since its completion. Are there any issues, including aging?

Mino

The air conditioning system is a challenge.

In 1980, it incorporated cutting-edge technology and used a so-called central system with "thermal storage tanks," which contributed to energy efficiency and even received awards.

However, we are now in the era of COVID-19. There are many parts that are not flexible, and ventilation is particularly problematic, so how to renovate it to fit the current times is a challenge.

Additionally, there is the issue of "barrier-free compliance."
We need to adapt parts that were sufficient at the time to be barrier-free according to the current era.

In 2022, we also changed the layout of the general reception area. I feel we must adapt each aspect to the current times.

What citizens should know about Kurashiki City Office's main building

Finally, if you have any messages for citizens about what they should know or see regarding the Kurashiki City main office building, please share.

Henmi

It has been about three years since I started working in Kurashiki City, and I believe the building of the Kurashiki City main office itself is a "landmark."

It certainly has a special appearance, and I would be happy if people could take pride in that.

Mino

Regarding the exterior, for example, even when doing seismic reinforcement work, we pay attention to design while maintaining the necessary improvements for the current era.

"When you see this office building, you think of Kurashiki City."

I believe it serves as a landmark, and I would be happy if people could develop an attachment to it, as someone involved in its maintenance and management.

Conclusion

That city hall was built because Kurashiki City was wealthy at the time.

I remember hearing that story from my mother several times when I was a child.

I feel like I had a somewhat negative impression of it, but the building was completed around the same time I was born in 1979.

In other words, the current Kurashiki City Office has been there since I was born, so I didn't have a negative impression, and conversely, I didn't have a good impression either.

I have lived in several areas outside of Kurashiki City, but I don't have any memorable city halls. In that sense, I only realized that the Kurashiki City Office's main building is special when I went outside the prefecture.

With the advancement of information and communication technology, I have come to realize during the COVID-19 pandemic that it is now possible to work from home without a sense of belonging to a region.

"The reason to live there on purpose."

When I think about that, having a symbolic city hall may be a strength for Kurashiki.

I felt that the Kurashiki City main office building, which has been around for 40 years since its completion, has such charm.

Urabe Chintaro "The New Kurashiki City Office"

We will publish the text left by Chintaro Urabe at the time of the completion of the Kurashiki City Office.

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