Ship refurbished by architect Le Corbusier Repatriated with the support of Japan October 20, 7:01
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The ship, which was renovated by Le Corbusier, one of the world's leading French architects, about 90 years ago, was withdrawn from the Seine River in Paris with the support of Japanese architects and will be rebuilt as a shipboard gallery in the future. It was.
This ship was renovated more than 90 years ago by Le Corbusier, who is known for designing the National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo, which is registered as a World Cultural Heritage site, and has elements of modern architecture that he advocated, such as horizontal continuous windows. It is included and designated as a French cultural property.
However, it was flooded by the flooding of the Seine River and left as it was.
Kunio Maekawa, an architect who laid the foundation for modern Japanese architecture, was also involved in the design of this ship under Le Corbusier, so an academic society made by Japanese architects decided to design this ship in August. I decided to buy and regenerate it.
And from this month, work to close the hole in the hull to drain water with a pump began, and on the 19th, the ship was withdrawn for the first time in two and a half years.
Over the next two years, the interior of the ship will be restored, regenerated as an onboard gallery, and then handed over to the French side.
Professor Shuhei Endo of Kobe University Graduate School, who has been involved in this project from the beginning, said, "This ship is the origin of exchange and architectural culture between Japan and France. I want to keep it firmly and make it a base for cultural exchange between the two countries." I will.
In addition, the director of the Le Corbusier Foundation in France, Bouvier, said, "I have been looking forward to this day. I am full of gratitude for the continued solidarity between the two countries," and was pleased with the withdrawal.
Repatriated ship
The ship that was withdrawn this time is a mass-produced concrete ship used to transport coal using the Seine in France during World War I.
After the war, the ship was to be refurbished as an evacuation ship for refugees, and it was Le Corbusier, the "master of modern architecture", who undertook this design.
The elements of modern architecture that he advocated are incorporated, such as creating a space called "piloti" supported by pillars and devising ways to let in bright light by connecting the windows horizontally.
At that time, under Le Corbusier, Kunio Maekawa, who laid the foundation for modern Japanese architecture, was studying and is known to have been involved in the design of this ship.
This ship, which was used as an evacuation ship for refugees until 1995, was considered to be scrapped after retirement, but it should be preserved as a valuable cultural property, along with French architects in Kobe. Professor Shuhei Endo of the university graduate school has been promoting a plan to revitalize it.
However, in February, when the restoration of the inside of the ship was almost completed, the ship sank while being berthed due to the flooding of the Seine, and the rehabilitation plan was floating in the air.
Under these circumstances, the International House of Japan in Tokyo, designed by Kunio Maekawa, provided a subsidy of 180 million yen to start the ship's revival project.
In August of this year, the French side approved a plan to regenerate the ship after it was purchased by the Japan Society for Architectural Design, and work has been carried out for withdrawal.